Police, fire and other government agencies across Florida must ground millions of dollars in aerial drones because of a new state rule banning the agencies from using devices made by China-based DJI.
The DJI drones are among the most widely used in the world, but Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration said they pose a security threat and did not include them on a list of approved drone manufacturers.
The approved manufacturers are:
- Skydio
- Parrot
- Altavian
- Teal Drones
- Vantage Robotics
In addition to a Florida Statute change that went into effect at the beginning of 2023, requiring all government agencies to use drones only from approved manufacturers, another rule went into effect Wednesday.
The Unmanned Aerial Systems Minimum Security Requirements rule prohibits government agencies from purchasing or using any drone made by a manufacturer in a “foreign country of concern,” which includes China.
The Florida Department of Management Services is concerned about potential spying amongst China-based DJI drones.
Its secretary told The Tampa Bay Times, “As a state, we’re a high-value target. Florida has troves of information that our adversaries want on both the civilian and military sides.”
The devices are so popular because they’re cheaper to fly than a helicopter.
First responders in Northeast Florida have used drones for many years now, and they say that they found great success with them. They’re much cheaper than flying a helicopter, they’re relatively portable, and they give them a great bird’s eye perspective for scenarios like missing persons, fires, even SWAT Team callouts, and search warrants.
“There are times that we found that they are immensely valuable,” said Jacksonville Fire and Rescue Department spokesman Capt. Eric Prosswimmer. “We’re getting perspective that we can’t normally get elsewhere.”
Prosswimmer, one of the department’s licensed drone pilots, said the unmanned aircraft have been used to find missing people, monitor wildfires, and were crucial in the weeklong fire onboard a cargo ship at Blount Island. Infrared cameras showed firefighters where the hotspots were -- likely keeping the vessel from sinking.
But JFRD’s three drones have been grounded since the first of the year because the state is looking to ban DJI, a Chinese drone company that dominates 70% of the market.
“What’s next is we are waiting for the legislative session to end to find out what the final verbiage is, and we are going to figure out from there where to proceed,” Prosswimmer said.
When the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office launched its fleet a few years ago, it included several DJI drones.
If you’ve been to a Jaguars game, there’s a good chance you’ve seen police using drones around the stadium, so they can monitor crowds, help identify armed suspects, and find missing people.
It’s unclear if the DJI drones were still in use at JSO before the ban went into effect.
Clay County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Drew Ford said the ban won’t impact his agency.
“We bought Skydio drones from the government-approved list of domestically manufactured drones,” he said. “We did have one DJI drone we purchased several years prior, but we no longer use it.”
The Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said it uses American-made drones and non-American drones.
News4JAX has reached out to other local agencies to see how they are responding to the ban.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office said, “The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office has started the transition phase to comply with state law. The SJSO Drone Unit has been preparing for the implementation of new drone technology and we do not expect any disruptions in the use of drones to serve the citizens of St. Johns County. We will continue to utilize advanced, law-enforcement technology to keep our communities safe.”
The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said, “Based on the recent update to Florida State Statute 934.50 regarding drone use by governmental agencies, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office will start the process of transitioning our drone fleet to comply with State law. This administration will now begin to budget for and safely implement new technology. As always, community and officer safety and careful stewardship of taxpayer dollars are of paramount concern as this agency complies with this new law.”
News4JAX also uses DJI drones, but the ban is specific to government agencies.
A spokesperson for DJI told the Tampa Bay Times that a large number of government agencies in the U.S. use DJI drones, and that its products are safe and secure.
The Tampa Bay Times article said police departments that have grounded their fleets have told lawmakers the approved replacements are more expensive and much less capable, and one even lit on fire in a deputy’s patrol vehicle.
For agencies that have invested tens of thousands of dollars in DJI, buying a new fleet with taxpayer money will be costly. Many are still discussing how they’ll proceed.
“We don’t want to hinder anything that we can use them for, but at the same token, we are not going to go against what the governor is saying to do,” Prosswimmer said. “We’re gonna stick to the rules.”
