Florida proposed law

[mavictk]

If it's like Stand Your Ground laws in FL, this law will lead to drone shootings even when there are no drones near private property.

The airspace above homes do not belong to homeowners. The FAA has sole jurisdiction on airspace.

But I don't know if there are activists or other entities who'd file a lawsuit to challenge this FL law, try to get a federal court to invalidate the state law, given that the federal govt. has jurisdiction.

People frequently believe that stand your ground gives you all kinds of immunity. Stand your ground is only one part of a self-defense claim. To claim self-defense, you have to satisfy reasonableness, avoidance, proportionality, imminence, and innocence criteria.

Stand your ground only relieves you of the avoidance need. In other words, stay in your ground doesn’t mean open season.

 

[mavictk]

Another good reason to stay away from Florida: too many people, too many palmetto bugs, too many hurricanes, too much humidity, too many mosquitos, rising sea levels, and a crazy state government.

Says the guy from Fruita Co. Just kidding.

 

[GregS]

There have been cases of people shooting at drones, causing property damage and the drone owners being able to make claims and getting reimbursed at least.

I don't know if that was under state or federal laws that they got this restitution though. FAA may claim jurisdiction over state or local laws for drones, but not sure that under the current administration, there would be too much sympathy for the rights of drone owners, especially when the drones are from a Chinese company.

Shooting at Drones...what goes up, must come down.

 

[Tjalbina]

Another good reason to stay away from Florida: too many people, too many palmetto bugs, too many hurricanes, too much humidity, too many mosquitos, rising sea levels, and a crazy state government.

I agree, stay out of Florida... and if you've recently arrived, you should leave, too!

 

[tstr14]

Shooting at Drones...what goes up, must come down.

True enough, but considering that most people (I suspect) would opt to use a shotgun with bird shot to increase their probability of scoring a hit, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it. I've been hit with falling shot. It's not pleasant - about like a bee sting on bare skin, less with clothing, but generally not life threatening. Pistol/rifle bullets are a different matter.

 

[WanderLost]

When I'm flying over residential areas, I usually fly high and quickly. If I'm flying my Mini 4 Pro at 400' you can't really see or hear it. What I'm worried about is when I'm doing real estate photos, then I'm flying lower and taking photos of the property from various angle which means I'm stopping briefly over neighbor's properties. I still haven't figured out a proper way to inform neighbors without starting an argument.

 

[hank970]

Says the guy from Fruita Co. Just kidding.

We welcome visitors to Fruita but don't want them to wear out their welcomes. They can ride our networks of paved and unpaved bike trails, hike in the national monument on our doorstep and marvel at its iconic western scenery, paddle or float on the Colorado River, enjoy a pizza and brew at The Hot Tomato, attend a rodeo, participate in our Fat Tire and Mike the Headless Chicken festivals, and fly their drones, unimpeded, over millions of acres of spectacular desert and mountain terrains near town. Then, we hope they'll go back where they came from.

 

[KB4MTO]

and because every Ken and Karen will see this as a free pass, The state has done pretty much nothing but fill their courts with Reckless endangerment/Gross negligence cases. You law makers in Florida should really consider what you are

When I'm flying over residential areas, I usually fly high and quickly. If I'm flying my Mini 4 Pro at 400' you can't really see or hear it. What I'm worried about is when I'm doing real estate photos, then I'm flying lower and taking photos of the property from various angle which means I'm stopping briefly over neighbor's properties. I still haven't figured out a proper way to inform neighbors without starting an argument.

I fly the same, high and fast. And I was taking aerial real estate video for a good friend of mine. His neighbor next door gor agitated, saying I was spying. If my friend wasn't outside with me at the time, who knows how it would have gone down.

But the proposed stupid bill gives homeowners the right to take action against any drone they feel is spying on them when the drone is flying under 500'. By doing this Florida will be declaring open season on drones, being we will all be flying below 500', unless we decide to go higher.

 

[wco81]

If you fly over 500 feet, can you get useful photos and videos for real estate?

Also, the ceiling is 400 feet, unless you're Part 107?

 

[KB4MTO]

If you fly over 500 feet, can you get useful photos and videos for real estate?

Also, the ceiling is 400 feet, unless you're Part 107?

No, not at all. You have to be somewhat close to the house to get good real estate photo/video.

The difference between the 400' limit with recreational and Part 107 is that if a 107 has a job to inspection a 500' tower, the 400' limit is added to the structure being inspected. So for a 500' tower or building, your limit is now 900'. Recreational is 400' always.

 

[mavic3usa]

No, not at all. You have to be somewhat close to the house to get good real estate photo/video.

The difference between the 400' limit with recreational and Part 107 is that if a 107 has a job to inspection a 500' tower, the 400' limit is added to the structure being inspected. So for a 500' tower or building, your limit is now 900'. Recreational is 400' always.

400 feet might be the limit for recreational drones but in addition to what you said, I read somewhere that 500 feet is also a purposeful number so that the recreational pilot doesn't fly at 412 feet to escape the buckshot *and* escape the purview of the faa as well because we know they would never hunt someone down for flying only 12 feet too high. But your explanation makes more sense not that the shooter would recognize "any drone that is flying higher than 500."