HB 1121, signed into law in 2025 and effective October 1, 2025, is one of the most sweeping state drone laws passed in the country. It rewrote Florida Statute 330.41 and dramatically expanded both the scope of restrictions and the penalties for violations.
| Restriction | Statute | Penalty |
|---|
| Flying within 500 ft horizontal or 400 ft vertical of critical infrastructure | F.S. 330.41(4) | 2nd degree misdemeanor (first). 1st degree misdemeanor (repeat). 3rd degree felony if damage/injury caused. |
| Flying over any school campus (pre-K through 12th grade) | F.S. 330.41 | Penalty tiers per F.S. 330.41 |
| Delivering contraband to correctional facilities | F.S. 330.41 | 3rd degree felony (up to 5 years, $5,000 fine) |
| Attaching a weapon, firearm, or explosive to a drone | F.S. 330.41 | 3rd degree felony (up to 5 years, $5,000 fine) |
| Drone surveillance of private property without written consent | F.S. 934.50 | 1st degree misdemeanor (up to 1 year, $1,000 fine) |
| Law enforcement drone use without warrant | F.S. 934.50 | Evidence inadmissible. 3 narrow exceptions: terrorism, imminent danger, missing persons. |
The school zone ban
Florida is the only state that blanket-bans drone flights over every public and private school campus from pre-K through 12th grade. The restriction is not limited to school hours. It applies to the school premises at all times, meaning a weekend flight over an empty football field at a high school is still a violation. For real estate photographers, this creates a significant operational headache: school properties are scattered throughout residential neighborhoods, and you need to confirm your flight path does not cross any campus boundary.
The 500-foot infrastructure buffer
Most states that restrict drone flights near critical infrastructure only prohibit direct overflight. Florida's HB 1121 created a 500-foot horizontal buffer around these facilities, on top of the 400-foot vertical limit. The definition of critical infrastructure is broad: power plants, water treatment facilities, fuel storage, wireless towers, seaports, airports, hospitals, government buildings, military bases, dams, correctional facilities, chemical plants, and water intake structures. In urban areas like Miami, Tampa, or Jacksonville, these buffers overlap and eliminate large swaths of flyable airspace.
Warning: The penalty escalation in HB 1121 is steep. A first offense near critical infrastructure is a 2nd degree misdemeanor (60 days, $500). A repeat offense jumps to a 1st degree misdemeanor (1 year, $1,000). If your operation causes damage or injury, it becomes a 3rd degree felony (5 years, $5,000). The jump from misdemeanor to felony can happen in a single incident if there's property damage.
The Lake Eola drone show crash
On December 21, 2024, a Christmas drone light show operated by Sky Elements at Orlando's Lake Eola Park went wrong. Multiple drones collided mid-air and fell into a crowd of roughly 25,000 spectators. A 7-year-old boy named Alezander was struck in the face and chest, knocked unconscious, and required emergency open-heart surgery. The NTSB investigation found that the launch parameter file with final flight paths had never been sent to the drones, and the show center was misaligned, causing the aircraft to shift positions and collide. The FAA suspended Sky Elements' Part 107 waiver. The boy's family filed a lawsuit against the City of Orlando and the companies involved in August 2025.
The government DJI ban
F.S. 934.50 prohibits Florida government agencies from using drones manufactured by "foreign countries of concern," which effectively bans DJI, Autel, and other Chinese-made drones. The approved manufacturer list includes Skydio, Parrot, Altavian, Teal Drones, and Vantage Robotics. This does not affect civilian or commercial operators, but it grounded an estimated $200 million fleet statewide and created confusion about whether the ban extends to private use. It does not.
Proposed SB 1422: "reasonable force" against surveillance drones
A proposed bill (SB 1422) would empower homeowners to use "reasonable force" to stop drones conducting surveillance over their property below 500 feet. If passed, this would be unprecedented among state drone laws. As of early 2026, the bill has not been enacted, but it signals the legislative direction in Florida.
For more on privacy law, see our drone spying laws guide and flying over private property guide.
