Florida Senate - 2025 SB 1422
By Senator Truenow
13-00672B-25 20251422__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to unmanned aircraft or unmanned
3 aircraft systems; amending s. 330.41, F.S.; increasing
4 the criminal penalty for certain prohibited actions
5 relating to drones; amending s. 330.411, F.S.;
6 prohibiting certain actions relating to unmanned
7 aircraft or unmanned aircraft systems; providing
8 criminal penalties; amending s. 934.50, F.S.; revising
9 and providing exceptions to certain prohibited actions
10 relating to drones; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Paragraph (b) of subsection (4) of section
15 330.41, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (a) of that
16 subsection is republished, to read:
17 330.41 Unmanned Aircraft Systems Act.—
18 (4) PROTECTION OF CRITICAL INFRASTRUCTURE FACILITIES.—
19 (a) A person may not knowingly or willfully:
20 1. Operate a drone over a critical infrastructure facility;
21 2. Allow a drone to make contact with a critical
22 infrastructure facility, including any person or object on the
23 premises of or within the facility; or
24 3. Allow a drone to come within a distance of a critical
25 infrastructure facility that is close enough to interfere with
26 the operations of or cause a disturbance to the facility.
27 (b) A person who violates paragraph (a) commits a felony of
28 the third degree misdemeanor of the second degree, punishable as
29 provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083. A person who commits a
30 second or subsequent violation commits a misdemeanor of the
31 first degree, punishable as provided in s. 775.082 or s.
32 775.083.
33 Section 2. Section 330.411, Florida Statutes, is amended to
34 read:
35 330.411 Prohibited possession, alteration, or operation of
36 unmanned aircraft.—
37 (1) A person may not willfully possess or operate an
38 unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system as defined in s.
39 330.41(2) s. 330.41 with an attached weapon, firearm, explosive,
40 destructive device, or ammunition as defined in s. 790.001.
41 (2) A person may not willfully alter, manipulate, tamper
42 with, or otherwise change an unmanned aircraft or unmanned
43 aircraft system’s hardware or software to counter or bypass any
44 tool, system, or technology intended to detect unmanned aircraft
45 or unmanned aircraft systems in violation of s. 330.41(4)(a).
46 (3) A person may not willfully possess or operate an
47 unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft system that has been
48 altered, manipulated, tampered with, or otherwise changed to
49 counter or bypass any tool, system, or technology intended to
50 detect unmanned aircraft or unmanned aircraft systems in
51 violation of s. 330.41(4)(a).
52 (4) A person who violates subsection (1), subsection (2),
53 or subsection (3) commits a felony of the third degree,
54 punishable as provided in s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
55 (5) A person who, without lawful authority, possesses or
56 operates an unmanned aircraft system carrying a weapon of mass
57 destruction, a hoax weapon of mass destruction, a biological
58 agent, or a toxin, as those terms are defined in s. 790.166(1),
59 commits a felony of the first degree, punishable as provided in
60 s. 775.082, s. 775.083, or s. 775.084.
61 Section 3. Paragraph (d) of subsection (4) of section
62 934.50, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (r) is added
63 to that subsection, to read:
64 934.50 Searches and seizure using a drone.—
65 (4) EXCEPTIONS.—This section does not prohibit the use of a
66 drone:
67 (d) To provide a law enforcement agency with an aerial
68 perspective of a crowd of 50 people or more or to provide or
69 maintain the public safety of such crowd, provided that:
70 1. The law enforcement agency that uses the drone to
71 provide an aerial perspective of a crowd of 50 people or more
72 must have policies and procedures that include guidelines:
73 a. For the agency’s use of a drone.
74 b. For the proper storage, retention, and release of any
75 images or video captured by the drone.
76 c. That address the personal safety and constitutional
77 protections of the people being observed.
78 2. The head of the law enforcement agency using the drone
79 for this purpose must provide written authorization for such use
80 and must maintain a copy on file at the agency.
81 (r) By a law enforcement agency in furtherance of providing
82 and maintaining the security of an elected official pursuant to
83 s. 943.68.
84 Section 4. This act shall take effect October 1, 2025.