195 - Florida's Response To Unwarranted Surveillance

Abstract: Public-sector oversight of Unmanned Aerial Systems by the State of Florida began with the passage of a 2013 Florida Statute filed under Title XLVII (Criminal Procedure and Corrections), Chapter 934 (Security of Communications; Surveillance) §50 – Searches and seizure using a drone. Also cited as the “Freedom from Unwarranted Surveillance Act”, 934.50 prohibited law enforcement agencies from using drones to gather evidence or other information, with only three specific exceptions. After a decade, 7 revisions, and a new perspective on potential sources of unwarranted surveillance, Florida’s regulation of Unmanned Systems has become a beacon of what to do and how not to do it. Culminating in a mandate to Florida’s Department of Management Services, this led to the administration of 60GG-2.0075 Florida Administrative Code – Florida Security Standards for Government Agency Drone Use.

Together, we will detail the evolution of the law and understand how Florida became an infamous example for similar legislation brought forward by several other states and recently the Federal legislature themselves. We will discuss the effects this had on local governmental agencies all over Florida and the role that Florida Mosquito Control Districts played in the development of 60GG-2.0075 FAC.