Neighbor went crazy on me

[Goin Up]

In Florida, discharging a firearm in the air, in a residential area, is a CL 3 Felony. If a neighbor threatens to "shoot your drone down", notify the local Sheriff's office.

 

[STS-Mavic-Mini]

So 3 weeks in to the hobby and had a neighbor now come to me angry.

last evening I was flying during sunset and shooting the sun. Well today I take off a little bit ago and I was 300 ft over her house flying forward. Not stationary mind you. Well I see this car pull up to my driveway and this woman jumps out and says are you flying a drone. I replied yes. She said well last evening we were getting ready for camping in our back yard and a drone scared my young son as he was in the tent getting ready for camping. We thought maybe its a pervert but it came right down over us. I called the police and they said they weren't using any drones.

I said well if it came right down over you guys then that wasn't me. I am flying legal when I fly. She says well ok I love in the big house with the red roof. Trying to be a hot shot the way she said that.

she then replies well they are patrolling for a drone now in the evening and night.

I am in Florida. What if any laws could I be in violation of?

Interesting. I vacationed in Florida in February, and a drone flew over the house we were renting. We were sitting by the pool. It didn't bother us. I actually waved at it as it hovered above us. Some people just don't have enough to do.
I'm a new dronie. I bought it for my website design business. I've spoken to most of my neighbours and told them I have it, and will be practicing on the golf course behind us. So far, no issues. Did the same thing when I installed a shed years ago - I told the neighbours where it was going to be to see if it would block their view. After receiving no objections, installed the shed and there have been no repercussions. So, I suggest informing anyone who may be affected so they know you're not a pervert, and then don't fly close to their yards. Good luck.

 

[cyeung]

I can say, from experience, that sharing that info with paranoid people is NOT a good idea.

By "sharing photos," I mean in a more public forum like the neighborhood's Facebook page or Nextdoor page.

 

[Joe650]

I don't know specific Florida law but I believe the only thing they can restrict is where you launch/recover from. FAA controls the airspace so you're free to fly over anything as long as it's within FAA drone rules. At least that's the way I understand it. I live in Alaska and about the only thing they care about up here is that you keep out of the way of manned aircraft which are all over the **** place.

 

[Chip]

For those who say fly on as usual no law was broken I would say be very careful and think twice. Anyone flying a drone is subject to state laws in effect regarding nuisance, trespass, harassment, stalking, voyeurism, etc. Anyone can file an anti-harassment suit/request for injunction against you and they would not have to prove you flew over their property to win. If legal action is initiated, then neighbor has the right to demand you produce all of your flight records and many other things. All of a sudden, a little spat with the neighbor becomes an expensive mess in court. Maybe you get a fair judge or maybe you get one who believes the propaganda spewed by the FAA and its corporate sponsors that hobby drone flyers pose an enormous threat to society and therefore must be terminated with extreme prejudice whenever and wherever found.

 

[Shameless Shamus]

Just some preflight steps I always take.
1. check b4ufly
2. unlock my mavic air from the dji site
3. get flight clearance with kittyhawk app. (Or whichever app you use. Depending on the area of flight you may need at least 48 hours advance on your request if it's in restricted airspace.)
4. make sure I have my part 107 license on me, along with my drone registration card from the FAA, and my proof of insurance card.

I've only been approached a few times while flying. I tell them, "my drone and my remote pilot's license are in compliance with the FAA, I have authorization from the local tower and I have insurance." So far this shuts everyone up.

I do wish the mavic air 1 was as quite as the new mavic air 2 is supposed to be. If someone was actually having big problem with my flight, I hope I'd be able to educate them without the conflict. The general public's view of UAS is so warped by viral stories of the few incidents of drones being used inappropriately that people assume you Must be filming them, when in reality your going 20 mph ground speed panning sideways at 300' AGL looking at the horizon.

 

[Jeff A]

<SNIP>I was 30 yards off her property line 400ft in the air. <SNIP>

A couple of questions. One, 30 yards from here property line? How did you figure this out?
The second question is do the residents in Florida have some kind of Hyper Senses? I have a helluva time seeing my own drone at 400 feet, and I know where it's at. What vision you folks must have, not to mention hearing. My M2Z sound fades by 100 feet. Of course my hearing is shot. Do many people here actually hear a Mavic at 400 feet? The Mavic 2's are pretty darn quiet.

 

[Jeff A]

its also illegal to shoot other people but that doesnt stop a lot of you .... and as for our rights we preferred to live in a society where not living with a fear of being shot was a distinct possiblity...

"A lot of you"? Like what percentage is that? I'm sorry but that is down right insulting, Sir!

 

[Dbez1]

Contact the FAA at [email protected]. They are all drone pilots and very willing to research and give you the information you need. They were very helpful to me on a particular question I had.

 

[suparobg]

that’s crazy. a very similar thing happened to me. a person who lives across the street threatened to shoot down my MM with a bb rifle i found out that’s a federal crime to do that in Canada where i live. same nonsense about how i might be a pedophile. if i was a pedophile i think i would be hiding and taking pictures i guess. and the way i was approached by the couple was like they were psychopaths. i guess some people weren’t raised by humans that taught them how to speak to strangers. and the sad thing is their small child heard them cursing at me etc then the child copied their parents and was cursing as well. what a nutty world we live in.

 

[Jonathonmp]

I do want to take a moment and thank all of you for the support and words of calming nature because my anger with her was really eating at me. I'm not used to being in a CCR community. Years ago I was but for the past 10 I could do what I want when I want why I wanted and the nearest house to me did the same thing. Riding my Atv in the front years in my boxers to just completing the engine rebuild on my 67 AC cobra and firing it up at 10 at night. The country life was great and is me.

I'm not cut like the rest of these pish posh people running people down or staying I live in the big house. That's the second woman to say that. The first was friendly meeting is moving in butwe asked where do you live at now oh I live in the biggest house in here in the back cul de sac. You guys really grounded my anger with her. Maybe I will be able to someday not let this people bother me or maybe I juat stop helping them in an emergency like when a hot water tank goes out on Christmas or the heat pump doesn't run on the coldest night of our winter season just starting. I don't get anything back juat yelled at and made to be a creeper.
This is truly a wonderful community of people and I thank each an every one of you for saying the things you did and reminding me to not throw in the towel and that I wasn't illegal. To keep flying a well you know **** her and just ignore her. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

 

[Chip]

...I don't want to make peace with her. She lives about 3,000 plus yards away...

Be forewarned that the FAA has gone to great trouble to educate state and local law enforcement about basic rules of drone flying including the importance of the pilot maintaining VLOS.

...no doubt it was me more or less...She has an 8 foot privacy fence around...She thinks by saying the police will be on patrol is going to make me shake in my boots. Well not even close as long as I am correct in my understanding of the law....Like i said I was about 25 to 33 yards away from her backyard property line even so technically wasn't over her house.

Think about how a conversation with police investigating the neighbor's complaint might go. Starting with them asking you where you were standing with the controller in your hand when the drone was flying over or near your neighbor's property over three thousand yards away. I realize you have been convinced by others that you have every right to fly over your neighborhood regardless of any neighbor's complaint. I am just suggesting you think this through carefully and make fully informed decision before you interact further with neighbor or police.

The FLA UAV law states in part:
330.41 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act.—

(3) REGULATION.—

(c) This subsection does not limit the authority of a local government to enact or enforce local ordinances relating to nuisances, voyeurism, harassment, reckless endangerment, property damage, or other illegal acts arising from the use of unmanned aircraft systems if such laws or ordinances are not specifically related to the use of an unmanned aircraft system for those illegal acts.

That is why the local police have jurisdiction to investigate your neighbor's complaint.

Several people have told you that you can take photos of anyone out in public visible from the ground or air. But here is what FLA law actually states:

"For purposes of this section, a person is presumed to have a reasonable expectation of privacy on his or her privately owned real property if he or she is not observable by persons located at ground level in a place where they have a legal right to be, regardless of whether he or she is observable from the air with the use of a drone."

So, does your neighbor's "8 foot privacy fence" block view from ground level?

Now lets look at:
REMEDIES FOR VIOLATION.—

(b) The owner, tenant, occupant, invitee, or licensee of privately owned real property may initiate a civil action for compensatory damages for violations of this section and may seek injunctive relief to prevent future violations of this section against a person, state agency, or political subdivision that violates paragraph (3)(b). In such action, the prevailing party is entitled to recover reasonable attorney fees from the nonprevailing party based on the actual and reasonable time expended by his or her attorney billed at an appropriate hourly rate and, in cases in which the payment of such a fee is contingent on the outcome, without a multiplier, unless the action is tried to verdict, in which case a multiplier of up to twice the actual value of the time expended may be awarded in the discretion of the trial court.

(c) Punitive damages for a violation of paragraph (3)(b) may be sought against a person subject to other requirements and limitations of law, including, but not limited to, part II of chapter 768 and case law.

Food for thought anyway.

 

[1_SkyDrone]

So 3 weeks in to the hobby and had a neighbor now come to me angry.

last evening I was flying during sunset and shooting the sun. Well today I take off a little bit ago and I was 300 ft over her house flying forward. Not stationary mind you. Well I see this car pull up to my driveway and this woman jumps out and says are you flying a drone. I replied yes. She said well last evening we were getting ready for camping in our back yard and a drone scared my young son as he was in the tent getting ready for camping. We thought maybe its a pervert but it came right down over us. I called the police and they said they weren't using any drones.

I said well if it came right down over you guys then that wasn't me. I am flying legal when I fly. She says well ok I love in the big house with the red roof. Trying to be a hot shot the way she said that.

she then replies well they are patrolling for a drone now in the evening and night.

I am in Florida. What if any laws could I be in violation of?

So I am a new drone pilot but not new to flying model aircraft. I've noticed a disturbing trend of the public to hear the word "drone" and think snooper or pervert or mischief maker of some kind. I have some land around my home to practice but I am careful not to fly to an altitude where some of the above misconceptions could come into play. It's a darn shame, takes some of the fun out of the hobby.

 

[Vic Moss]

i did not say it was illegal. Yes you can do it ... and yes it can be inconsiderate ... My personal view is flying over someone else's property in a built up neighbourhood is inconsiderate regardless of the law - I know I do not want someone flying over my house recording me in my back garden - ... sometimes you need to think how others feel when someone flies over their head with a camera recording it - How do they know you aent doing anything circumspect with that recording.

We clearly disagree on what is considerate flying ....

How is me flying over someone's house (at altitude) inconsiderate?

I do not let the uneducated feelings of others influence my behavior, no matter the subject at hand.

You seem to equate flying over someone's house with "recording me in my back garden". Not only is that incredibly unlikely, it's grand conceit.

Why in the world would anyone want to photograph or videotape someone doing that? Or anything they're doing for that matter?

When I'm flying over a home, I'm either transitioning airspace, or shooting a different subject (I need to fly over other property to get the angle I want).

No one in their right mind would want to video or photography random people doing boring things in their own backyard.

Your argument it invalid.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

You seem to equate flying over someone's house with "recording me in my back garden". Not only is that incredibly unlikely, it's grand conceit.

That's how the person on the ground very often perceives it, and we've all seen many times just how paranoid, psychotic, and uneducated people can be about drones in posts here on the forum.
You may have your camera pointed west for a nice sunset, they don't know that and think it's looking at them.

Best not to hover too close to people homes, moving over is fine, they probably wouldn't even notice a drone in the 5 - 10 seconds it takes to traverse their property . . . that's how urban drone flying should be done, if it has to be done.

I glad I prefer remote areas / landscapes and have only flown from home a couple of times briefly testing something out.
Though I completely understand people living urban, and wanting to fly from their homes safely, many are busy with work, commuting, busy lifestyles, so a nice relaxing flight from home is often all they can get in easily.

 

[Bbarr]

I do want to take a moment and thank all of you for the support and words of calming nature because my anger with her was really eating at me. I'm not used to being in a CCR community. Years ago I was but for the past 10 I could do what I want when I want why I wanted and the nearest house to me did the same thing. Riding my Atv in the front years in my boxers to just completing the engine rebuild on my 67 AC cobra and firing it up at 10 at night. The country life was great and is me.

I'm not cut like the rest of these pish posh people running people down or staying I live in the big house. That's the second woman to say that. The first was friendly meeting is moving in butwe asked where do you live at now oh I live in the biggest house in here in the back cul de sac. You guys really grounded my anger with her. Maybe I will be able to someday not let this people bother me or maybe I juat stop helping them in an emergency like when a hot water tank goes out on Christmas or the heat pump doesn't run on the coldest night of our winter season just starting. I don't get anything back juat yelled at and made to be a creeper.
This is truly a wonderful community of people and I thank each an every one of you for saying the things you did and reminding me to not throw in the towel and that I wasn't illegal. To keep flying a well you know **** her and just ignore her. Thank you all from the bottom of my heart.

I’m baffled. You have made it very clear you have the resources to live anywhere you like. A real 67 Cobra ! You don’t like your neighbors or CCR. What possessed you to buy there ?

 

[Boise Jim]

I fly commercially and used to get harrassed now and then. Once I got the FAA certified drone pilot vest, that mostly went away. Now people are nicer and just ask generic questions about flying one.

 

[SpitFire]

Sorry, about your bad experience. Personally, I try really hard to be a Drone Ambassador, "do for others what you want them to do for you". Applying the golden rule works wonders. I live in a senior HOA complex. Only one way in and one way out, sign says neighborhood watch in force.
And, I am part of it, people here have nothing to do but sit in their garages, and watch who is doing what. It has been my goal to get to know every single person in our complex, to let them know that I am using my drone to be part of the neighborhood watch. I don't fly over their houses. But, I do go up to 400 feet, I can see the entire neighborhood from that height, and if we have uninvited visitors, I Zoom in for a closer look, not fly closer but zoom my camera in for a closer look. Have volunteered to check neighbors roof vents for cracks etc. Never insisting on my rights to fly, older people are more difficult to work with, which is true. We have some here that are in their 90's some over a 100 years old, they deserve some respect. Anyway, my two cents worth.

 

[MAvic_South_Oz]

I’m baffled. You have made it very clear you have the resources to live anywhere you like. A real 67 Cobra ! You don’t like your neighbors or CCR. What possessed you to buy there ?

Usually that sort of knowledge comes after moving in though.
This seems like a recent development, well, apart from past speeding drivers occasionally.
Then uprooting family, and possible economic loss of moving makes staying a more sensible option, while trying to resolve the issues like adults.

 

[KanjaniAir]

So 3 weeks in to the hobby and had a neighbor now come to me angry.

last evening I was flying during sunset and shooting the sun. Well today I take off a little bit ago and I was 300 ft over her house flying forward. Not stationary mind you. Well I see this car pull up to my driveway and this woman jumps out and says are you flying a drone. I replied yes. She said well last evening we were getting ready for camping in our back yard and a drone scared my young son as he was in the tent getting ready for camping. We thought maybe its a pervert but it came right down over us. I called the police and they said they weren't using any drones.

I said well if it came right down over you guys then that wasn't me. I am flying legal when I fly. She says well ok I love in the big house with the red roof. Trying to be a hot shot the way she said that.

she then replies well they are patrolling for a drone now in the evening and night.

I am in Florida. What if any laws could I be in violation of?

I also live in Florida and I haven't had any issues like this, and that is not to say that it won't happen in the future. I mainly try to stay away from flying in my neighborhood. I live next to a lake, and every now and then, I'll take off from the parking lot to view the neighboring lake at different times of the day when I am trying to make camera calibrations.

My advice would be to just fly over areas where there aren't so many people. People are going to complain no matter what you do! I just try to minimize their arguments. You will always have those who think that drones pilots are more interested in peeping on others (them) than trying to catch a beautiful sunrise/sunset. I fly at parks and the beach when it isn't so crowded, and as of late, because of COVID-19, the beaches have been perfect! Don't let your neighbors get you down and out. Just fly legal and try to safely operate and care for your drone.