Waymo is kicking off the new year with a new city: Miami.

Starting today, anyone on the company’s waitlist of approximately 10,000 people can hail one of its robotaxis for trips within a 60-square-mile service area that includes popular neighborhoods like the Design District and Wynwood, Brickell, and Coral Gables — but not popular tourist destinations like South Beach. The vehicles also will initially avoid highways and stick to local roads, with plans to expand to faster-speed roads later this year.

It will be a similar phased rollout as in other cities, in which Waymo first opens up to those who have joined its waitlist and indicated interest in trying out its robotaxis before they are made available to the broader public. The map will also grow over time to include more neighborhoods and prime locations, like Miami International Airport.

Waymo’s fleet of driverless vehicles will be managed by a company called Moove, which provides fleet services as well as a range of financial products for mobility companies. The African company (it has several offices in Nigeria) is backed by Uber and was recently valued at $750 million.

Waymo’s robotaxi business has been growing slowly, even as the company has grown more confident naming the markets it wants to target in the future. Waymo currently operates in San Francisco, Los Angeles, Austin, Atlanta, and Phoenix. It hopes to launch in over 20 cities in the coming years, including San Diego, Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Tampa, Houston, Orlando, Washington, DC, New York City, Denver, New Orleans, Tokyo, London, and several others. (Of course, not every city is welcoming the robotaxis with open arms.)

In its announcement about Miami, Waymo touted its safety record — a tenfold reduction in serious injury crashes compared to human drivers in the cities where it operates — and its growing demand. At the end of 2025, Waymo said it was doing about 450,000 paid driverless trips each week.

SOUTH MIAMI, Fla. — A 34-year-old man was arrested in connection with an attempted armed robbery reported earlier this month near South Miami Market, police said.

The robbery occurred on Jan. 15 just after 10:30 a.m. near the 6700 block of Southwest 61st Street

Officers with the South Miami Police Department identified the suspect in an arrest report as Bobby Lathan Turner.

They said a woman reported she had just been robbed while taking out her garbage at an apartment complex near Southwest 66th Terrace and Southwest 59th Place.

The victim told officers she was walking back to her vehicle when an unknown man, who police identified as Turner, followed her from the dumpster area and demanded her purse while pointing an unknown object concealed in his pocket, causing her to fear he was armed.

Authorities said the victim attempted to call for help, but Turner forcibly took her cellphone to prevent a 911 call before grabbing her Louis Vuitton purse and fleeing on foot.

Using tracking data from the stolen phone, officers traced its location to a nearby residence.

Police said Turner was seen fleeing the home on foot while holding a bag and ignoring commands to stop. A K-9 search and aerial support were unable to locate him at the time.

Further investigation, including surveillance video from the apartment complex, showed Turner lingering in the area and hiding inside the dumpster enclosure before following the victim into a darkened area, according to the report.

Authorities said Turner was eventually taken into custody with the help of video evidence, tracking data, prior cases and officer identification.

They said Turner turned himself in to SMPD headquarters on Tuesday, was advised of his Miranda rights, and declined to answer questions.

Jail records show he is facing one count each of attempted armed robbery while wearing a mask, resisting an officer with violence, and misuse of 911 or emergency communications. He is also expected to face a probation violation warrant.

As of Wednesday, he was being held without bond at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

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