Over the years, the increasingly ubiquitous use of drones in the United States has raised a lot of privacy concerns. But if a random drone is hovering around your home, what can you do about it? Well, a new bill in Florida’s Senate would let property owners use “reasonable force” against them.
The bill aims to expand Florida’s overall restrictions on “Unmanned Aircraft Systems,” redefining no-fly zones to include airports and prisons. But its proposal for property owners is generating the most controversy. Currently, it would let anyone with a “reasonable expectation of privacy” on their property use “reasonable force” to stop drones from conducting surveillance.
What constitutes reasonable force, though? Chucking rocks? Or flat out shooting it?
Your guess is as good as mine.
Right now, the bill doesn’t put limits on what property owners can do to drones. The only thing that the bill does specify is that drones must be flying under 500 feet over someone’s property to take action. It’s not hard to imagine what some Florida man’s first choice might be, though.
Throughout the past decade, privately owned drones have become increasingly popular in the U.S. Almost 800,000 drones are currently registered with the Federal Aviation Administration, but the agency estimates that over a million people use them for recreational and commercial purposes.
As with any evolving technology, regulations around drones are murky and often lacking, especially when it comes to privately owned drones. Some states have “Peeping Tom” laws to regulate use, including Florida’s own “Freedom from Unwanted Surveillance Act” that says drones can’t take photos or videos of private property without permission.
However, drones are not totally unregulated. They’re considered aircraft, so they fall under FAA guidelines. That’s where problems with Florida’s current bill come in. Even if state lawmakers try to say otherwise, it’s not OK to shoot down your neighbor’s drone under federal law. If you do, you may be looking at two decades in prison or a hefty fine.
“An unmanned aircraft hit by gunfire could crash, causing damage to persons or property on the ground, or it could collide with other objects in the air,” the FAA told Gizmodo via email. “Shooting at an unmanned aircraft could result in a civil penalty from the FAA and/or criminal charges from federal, state, or local law enforcement.”
These concerns were also expressed by Florida state Sen. Jason Pizzo (D-Hollywood) during a committee hearing last week. He stated, “There was mention that ‘reasonable force’ might include shooting it down…But I don’t want anyone under the notion that they can go and just shoot things down from the air, which is actually punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison.”
Still, the bill made its way through multiple committees without much opposition. Its next step is a vote by the full Senate. If approved, it could take effect as early as October 2025.
