Interesting new Florida law.....

Half Fast

Half Fast

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Half Fast
Passed in the 2024 legislative session. Prohibits flying drones over schools, with an extra prohibition on using them to take video. No mention of altitude, so I guess a drone in the flight levels (or an orbiting satellite, for that matter) is in violation. Surprised Florida thinks they have this authority.

Guess Amazon and WalMart drones will have to avoid overflying schools now.

Here’s the text:


ENROLLED
CS/CS/HB1473, Engrossed 1 2024Legislature
(5) PROTECTION OF SCHOOLS.—
(a) A person may not knowingly or willfully:
1. Operate a drone over a public or private school serving
students in any grade from voluntary prekindergarten through grade 12; or
2. Allow a drone to make contact with a school, including any person or object on the premises of or within the school facility.
(b) A person who violates paragraph (a) commits a misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. A person who commits a second or subsequent violation commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
(c) A person who violates paragraph (a) and records video of the school, including any person or object on the premises of or within the school facility, commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. A person who commits a second or subsequent violation commits a felony of the third degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
 
Is there some unreported epidemic of drones overflying schools in Florida that would warrant such a law?
 
The recreational drone altitude limit set by the FAA is 400ft AGL. Commercial operators can request higher.
 
School fields used to be one of the standard places to fly model airplanes... are they "drones" now?
 
Dana said:
School fields used to be one of the standard places to fly model airplanes... are they "drones" now?
Click to expand...

Yep. Used to fly control line models on the outdoor basketball courts, and flew model rockets on school grounds, too.
 
Florida.
They also recently discontinued all continuing education requirements for professionals.
 
Bob Noel said:
Well, think about stalkers, pedos, and the like
Click to expand...
Not sure what data a drone prohibition directly overhead a school would prevent those kinds of people from obtaining.
I can go to my kid's elementary school and gather tons of visual data, up close, with my own eyeballs or a camera, at 0 AGL.
 
Half Fast said:
Did not hear that. I’m still seeing lots of CE announcements from my local IEEE chapter.
Click to expand...
I suspect CE will continue to be offered, and taken by the more diligent.
The change happens in July.
I think it's a huge step in the wrong direction, but we shall see.
There is a big list of exemptions ie those who qualify to skip CE:

Exempt.png
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I suspect CE will continue to be offered, and taken by the more diligent.
The change happens in July.
I think it's a huge step in the wrong direction, but we shall see.
There is a big list of exemptions ie those who qualify to skip CE:

View attachment 129554
Click to expand...

Well, it looks like it ain't true for everyone...

(b) This subsection does not apply to engineers regulated​
64 pursuant to chapter 471, to certified public accountants​
65 regulated pursuant to chapter 473, to brokers, ....​

Eliminating CE requirements for barbers is probably okay, but some of those others I'm a bit uneasy about, like building inspectors, but I wonder whether there might already be a means by which they're required to stay up to date. Some of those gigs require professional certifications, not just a Florida license, and that might include some education and currency requirements.

For example, as a Lockheed engineer I was exempt from Florida licensing law (and therefore from CE requirements) because my practice was in defense and aerospace and the statute has a specific exemption carve-out for that industry. Nevertheless, I had many certifications that I had to keep current, and I was taking classes all the time. Taking Florida CE classes would have been useless and unneccessary.

I'm just guessing, though.
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
I suspect CE will continue to be offered, and taken by the more diligent.
The change happens in July.
I think it's a huge step in the wrong direction, but we shall see.
There is a big list of exemptions ie those who qualify to skip CE:

View attachment 129554
Click to expand...
I had not heard about that.
I've got mixed feelings about the idea...well just a little. I know nothing about who was behind this law, or about who was opposed to it, or about any of the whys.... but I so have some thoughts
at the concept level.... I'd agree, step in the wrong direction. At least for some professions. I mean, who doesn't want to be better educated or want your service providers to be better educated?....
(there are some professions that CE just seems silly...especially if they are active and current.)
but on the practical level though, it seems like a great move to me for many, or perhaps most all cases. Yet another common sense thing to simplify a thing that had been made complex by bureaucracy. I personally have never been required to maintain CEU's, but I have known many folks that have...and those are spread over many different professions and genres. In every single case I know, they take courses that have no bearing at all on what the folks do, only just because a) it meets the requirement and b) it's available or at least moderately convenient in terms of location and timing. I'd have to say that CE is a waste of time and money and resources...probably 100% of the cases I know, but let's call it 96.8% to be safe. It's great for the folks making money on the deal, but pretty much useless for everyone else....if not a downright burden.
 
Brad W said:
In every single case I know, they take courses that have no bearing at all on what the folks do, only just because a) it meets the requirement and b) it's available or at least moderately convenient in terms of location and timing. I'd have to say that CE is a waste of time and money and resources...probably 100% of the cases I know, but let's call it 96.8% to be safe. It's great for the folks making money on the deal, but pretty much useless for everyone else....if not a downright burden.
Click to expand...

That's pretty much what I saw when my wife was taking courses to keep her teaching certificate current. Nothing offered that was really relevant to her specialty (she taught profound mentally handicapped), and pretty limited choices among what was offered. Mostly useless.
 
Half Fast said:
That's pretty much what I saw when my wife was taking courses to keep her teaching certificate current. Nothing offered that was really relevant to her specialty (she taught profound mentally handicapped), and pretty limited choices among what was offered. Mostly useless.
Click to expand...
yep. Nothing relevant! That's pretty much how it is/was for my wife as a Speech Therapist, my sister who used to be a CPA, a couple of architects that I've worked with over the years. Those are the ones I'm very familiar with... I've had casual conversations with several other folks in other professions that all reported the same.
 
Ahh yes... Pervert spy drones are the real threat facing Florida's children.

Not bushmaster wielding psychopaths kicking in the door of their schools and going nuts, or pervasive meth and fentanyl sales occurring on school grounds.

It's really the pervert spy drones that are the problem. Glad FL is leading the way with cutting edge regulation that will really make a positive impact for families!
 
The Iowa legislature has been trying to pass a similar bill regulating drone flight over farms. It is specifically targeting PETA type groups flying over or harassing hog and chicken confinements and is being pushed by the farming lobby. We as the airport lobby haven't taken a stance because it doesn't directly impact us, but have tried to educate them that Federal law will likely preempt any attempt to restrict airspace by the state. The bill hasn't passed yet, but it comes back every session.

This Florida bill may set the precedent for others, whether it is allowed to stand or gets struck down.
 
The states have absolutely no authority over the National Air Space. That is the purview of the federal government.
 
So, uh, if my friend homeschools, and the neighbor needs a roof inspection, the drone guy just broke the law by flying over a private school to get that particular angle? This is gonna have all kind of interesting nonsense in the courts. And if you hate drones, just find a way to call yourself a school now, eh?
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Ahh yes... Pervert spy drones are the real threat facing Florida's children.

Not bushmaster wielding psychopaths kicking in the door of their schools and going nuts, or pervasive meth and fentanyl sales occurring on school grounds.

It's really the pervert spy drones that are the problem. Glad FL is leading the way with cutting edge regulation that will really make a positive impact for families!
Click to expand...

correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't illegal to possess a firearm in a school building?

going a little over the top there, aren't you...

get it?

"over the top"
 
Dana said:
School fields used to be one of the standard places to fly model airplanes... are they "drones" now?
Click to expand...

Yep, the lack of differential between R/C and drones isn't helpful.
 
apparently some people never saw the show "Hollywood Squares"
 
Bob Noel said:
Well, think about stalkers, pedos, and the like
Click to expand...
So control all the drones and none of the stalkers? I'd say that's bordering on political except that it's common sense so it can't be.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
Ahh yes... Pervert spy drones are the real threat facing Florida's children.

Not bushmaster wielding psychopaths kicking in the door of their schools and going nuts, or pervasive meth and fentanyl sales occurring on school grounds.

It's really the pervert spy drones that are the problem. Glad FL is leading the way with cutting edge regulation that will really make a positive impact for families!
Click to expand...

So... we should ignore rapists because murderers exist? Not really following your logic.
 
midwestpa24 said:
The Iowa legislature has been trying to pass a similar bill regulating drone flight over farms. It is specifically targeting PETA type groups flying over or harassing hog and chicken confinements and is being pushed by the farming lobby. We as the airport lobby haven't taken a stance because it doesn't directly impact us, but have tried to educate them that Federal law will likely preempt any attempt to restrict airspace by the state. The bill hasn't passed yet, but it comes back every session.
Click to expand...
It isn't already illegal to harass livestock? If so, point that out. If not, that might be a better way of handling it. Doesn't matter if PETA is using drones, ATVs, loudspeakers, water canons or anything else. An anti-harassment law would be vastly superior to a drone specific one.
 
A bit of googling on HB 1473 shows it is a 25 page bill on school safety. The drone restriction is just one small excerpt of that.
 
2-Bit Speed said:
So... we should ignore rapists because murderers exist? Not really following your logic.
Click to expand...
My point was that this law seems like a solution in search of a problem.

There are big, serious issues facing students and school safety today and drones are not one of them.

It's just political silliness to proactively create laws to problems that don't exist, whilst not making a sincere effort to address tangible threats facing kids everyday.

And it's not unique to FL. States on both sides of the spectrum do things like this.
 
My kids attend a STEM-focused school, that includes classes that teach about drones and how to fly them, etc. We're not in FL, thank goodness, but would this mean that those sort of classes there would now have to go elsewhere to actually fly? There doesn't seem to be any carve-out for the students/school itself flying the drones... stupid!
 
Since schools aren’t marked on maps, I’m curious to see how Amazon and WalMart are going to avoid them.
 
ArrowFlyer86 said:
There are big, serious issues facing students and school safety today and drones are not one of them.
Click to expand...

The new Florida law is a 25 page bill addressing those issues. The drone restriction was just a small section of that.
 
Half Fast said:
Since schools aren’t marked on maps, I’m curious to see how Amazon and WalMart are going to avoid them.
Click to expand...

Huh?
ac910d0d81f2759e2ff0595c436fa451.jpg
 
Half Fast said:
Since schools aren’t marked on maps, I’m curious to see how Amazon and WalMart are going to avoid them.
Click to expand...
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