Orlando Wants to Limit Your Drone Rights

[LuvMyTJ]

The Orlando City Council and Mayor Buddy Dyer want to make it tough for drone enthusiasts to be able to fly their drones in the city. The policy – if passed – would require drone users to get special permits, extra insurance and limit where drones can fly. Even more outrageous: breaking the rule empowers Orlando police officers to issue fines up to $400, make arrests and seize your drone as contraband.

The Orlando city government doesn’t have the authority to regulate national airspace – that’s the FAA’s role. Furthermore, the FAA already prohibits drones from flying over schools, stadiums and other public spaces and has a process in place for dealing with violations.

Creating confusing, tech-specific laws penalize early adopters and make it difficult for drone users to follow the rules. Join us in urging the Orlando City Council and Mayor Dyer to stop this bad drone policy.

SOURCE: https://www.cta.tech/Policy/Issues/Drones.aspx

 

[Chickenhoss]

Yep it's outrageous! Look for more of this kind of snap reaction from cities and counties and states across this land. They know not what they are doing! They could be reaping the benefits from taxes from those flying for commercial uses, but they are too blind to see. Has anyone in Orlando been hurt or injured to date due to a responsible sUAV pilot flying his/her drone? Probably not!

 

[DroningOn]

The UAV hobby here in the US could put an end to this nonsense in short order with one lawsuit/ test case in federal court. There is tons of case law already in place in connection with civil and commercial aviation pushing back on states and local government's Who have tried to regulate or interfere with Something that is exclusively In the federal purview .....
The problem is that there are many in our hobby that support what these state and local entities are trying to do, including many members on this forum.

 

[erkme73]

... Has anyone in Orlando been hurt or injured to date due to a responsible sUAV pilot flying his/her drone? Probably not!

Nope, but 50 died as unarmed fish in a barrel because of similar bans/prohibitions. When will people realize that .gov knee-jerk reactions almost always have very predictable unintended consequences? My favorite so far is the ban on texting while driving. The intention is nobel, I'm sure. And most motorists are in favor of "doing something" to reduce risk. But, now motorists who used to text with the phone up above the steering wheel, with the phone in their line-of-sight (where at least their peripheral vision was intact), are now 'hiding' their texting by doing so from their laps. Because texters will text, all this law has done is made texting even more dangerous. I know this is OT, but it is so emblematic of the problem.

 

[DroningOn]

Texting is a great analogy. I completely agree with what you said

 

[Bigfootbuilt]

Federal law trumps city law and only the FAA can create rules for airspace. I'm assuming the city is run by leftists, correct?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N920A using MavicPilots mobile app

 

[JustABill]

More reason to dislike florida and disney

 

[erkme73]

More reason to dislike florida and disney

This isn't a Florida-specific thing. There is so much negative propaganda on drones in the media, that the public is feeling an irrational level of fear over safety and privacy. Since government (whether local, state or federal) is never one to let a good crisis (even a made up one) go to waste, they arrive on scene with the very predictable knee-jerk reaction to pacify the masses. "I'm with the government and I'm hear to help"... Unfortunately, we've gone from a society of "question authority" to one which questions anyone who questions authority. So to question the necessity of these over-reaching limits on civil liberties is seen as selfish, irrational, and reckless. How dare anyone question the intent of such laws, for "if they save just one child"... Yeah, land of the free and home of the brave...

 

[VietVet]

As I have previously posted it is going to be near impossible to fly a quad in the future. The amount of units being sold to folks who do know what they are doing and those who don't is staggering. This was predicted 2 years ago and prompted the FAA to get involved to which I believe they have over stepped? I can almost say what the next step is going to be and I will not publish my thought here. If I'm right many here will be selling their units on eBay for much less than they paid for. I have a number of RC fixed wing units and flew them near my home without incident. I now fear flying them as I did before because of what I have viewed on a video posted in another post.

 

[Falcon]

Wow so sad,
City of Orlando’s decision to regulate drones upsets hobbyists

City of Orlando’s decision to regulate drones upsets hobbyists – Orlando Rising

 

[erkme73]

Wow so sad,
City of Orlando’s decision to regulate drones upsets hobbyists

City of Orlando’s decision to regulate drones upsets hobbyists – Orlando Rising

Let's hope the city is sued over this. It's too bad when they spend millions of taxpayers money to defend a clearly overreaching and unconstitutional ordinance, those that passed it aren't held personally liable. Can you imagine if politicians were actually held to account for passing knee-jerk laws like this?