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SB 1422FLORIDA · STATEWIDESession 2025
High Impact

New Rules for Drone Use and Surveillance

Original title: Unmanned Aircraft or Unmanned Aircraft Systems

April 24, 2025

dronescriminal lawprivacycritical infrastructureaviation

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The Frame

What this does

The bill changes the legal consequences for drone operators and defines the rights of property owners to defend their privacy against aerial surveillance, while also expanding the circumstances under which law enforcement may use drones.

Who is mentioned in the record

Potentially affected actors named in the source documents. Mention is not a position.

Drone operators

Operators face new criminal penalties for prohibited flights and restrictions on modifying drone identification technology.

Private property owners

Owners gain the legal authority to use reasonable force against drones conducting surveillance below 500 feet.

Law enforcement agencies

Agencies are granted specific exceptions to use drones for crowd monitoring and protecting elected officials.

What changed

Last recorded activity April 24, 2025.

What's next

Introduced.

Summary

This legislation updates Florida law to increase penalties for illegal drone operations near critical infrastructure and prohibits tampering with drone identification technology. It also clarifies when property owners can use force to stop drone surveillance and establishes new exceptions for law enforcement drone use.

Key Facts

You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I shoot down a drone flying over my house?
The bill allows a property owner to use 'reasonable force' to stop a drone from conducting surveillance if it is flying below 500 feet over their private property.
What happens if I modify my drone to hide its ID?
It is prohibited to alter a drone to bypass FAA requirements; doing so is a .
Can police use drones to watch crowds?
Yes, law enforcement may use drones to monitor crowds of 50 or more people, provided they have written authorization and established policies for data storage and privacy protection.

Why It Matters

The bill changes the legal consequences for drone operators and defines the rights of property owners to defend their privacy against aerial surveillance, while also expanding the circumstances under which law enforcement may use drones.

News Coverage

No news coverage found yet. Articles are indexed twice daily.

Lobbying Activity

HOGAN LOVELLS US LLP

on behalf of DOORDASH, INC.

View filing →

CORNERSTONE GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS, INC.

on behalf of EPIRUS, INC.

View filing →

APCO WORLDWIDE LLC

on behalf of VICTUS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.

View filing →

ROSS TAYLOR & ASSOCIATES, LLC

on behalf of OBSERVATION WITHOUT LIMITS, LLC

View filing →

INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF CHIEFS OF POLICE

View filing →

Voting Record

Motion succeededupper4/16/2025openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable

Total

22

Yes

22

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededupper4/10/2025openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

8

Yes

8

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Motion succeededupper3/18/2025openstates_bulkOfficial roll call ↗

Favorable with Committee Substitute

Total

9

Yes

9

No

0

Present

0

Not Voting

0

Abstain

0

Full roll-call analysis →

Sponsors

Discoveries

Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.

policy shift100% confidence

Expansion of Law Enforcement Drone Use

The bill explicitly codifies exceptions for law enforcement to use drones for crowd monitoring and official security, moving beyond general surveillance restrictions.

law enforcement agency

Connected Entities

organizationDepartment of Defense“Authorized to grant exceptions for altered drone operations.”Map →
organizationFlorida Legislature“The body enacting these changes to state statutes.”Map →
organizationFederal Aviation Administration“Regulates drone operations and remote identification requirements.”Map →

Sources

Open source document

openstates.org

Analysis Score

0–100
  • Significance85
    How much this matters to a regular citizen
  • Controversy60
    Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
  • Entertainment20
    Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
  • Buzz40
    Current news / social attention level

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