Panama City Beach reworking ordinance to restrict drone flying over public, private places
PANAMA CITY BEACH − Based on some new information, local officials have decided to take a proposed ordinance back to the drawing board.
Dubbed Ordinance 1614, the ruling aims to regulate how drones can fly over public and private properties within the limits of Panama City Beach. Its first reading was approved by the City Council at a meeting on March 23; however, officials now are working on some adjustments, according to Debbie Ingram, spokesperson for the Beach.
"Following first reading, city staff listened to feedback from many interested parties ranging from private property rights advocates, city residents and leaders in the drone operation industry," Ingram wrote in an email. "Based on those cooperative discussions, city staff decided that it would best serve the people of (the Beach) to draft broader privacy protections from all forms of surveillance, trespass and voyeurism without a specific emphasis on low-altitude aircraft."
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The original ordinance prohibited drones from flying within an elevation of 500 feet over a private property without the property owner's permission, as well as their flying within the same elevation over public property to survey someone's private property.
Officials said during the March 23 meeting that the ordinance was designed to prevent residents from being unknowingly surveyed or spied upon. It reportedly was sparked by residents who told council members their privacy was being invaded by the flying of drones near their homes.
The original ordinance also included a $250 fine for those first-time violators, a $500 fine for those who commit a second violation within six months, and a $1,000 fine for those who commit a third violation within a year.
The second reading was scheduled for the City Council meeting on Thursday, but it was stripped from the agenda to give officials time to draft an improved version.
"Ordinance 1614 was based on substantial legal research and multiple other existing regulations throughout the state of Florida and United States," Ingram wrote. "City staff is currently working on (an updated) ordinance, which (they) hope to bring to the City Council at a future date."
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: PCB reworking ordinance to restrict the restrict drone flying
