Drone bill flying through committees

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The proposal to ban law enforcement from using unmanned drones appears to be on auto-pilot.

The House version of the measure flew through its first committee on Thursday, gaining unanimous support with no debate. The measure (HB 119), sponsored by Rep. Ritch Workman, is opposed, however, by police chiefs and sheriffs, who say they want to make sure there are carve-outs for circumstances under which they would still be able to use drones. Some exceptions – including one for use when there’s a high risk of a specific terrorist attack – have been added to the bill.

The Senate version (SB 92), has been assigned to four committees, but has already been approved in two of those, and by unanimous votes in both. 

Via the News Service of Florida.

Peter Schorsch is the President of Extensive Enterprises and is the publisher of some of Florida’s most influential new media websites, including SaintPetersBlog.com, FloridaPolitics.com, ContextFlorida.com, and Sunburn, the morning read of what’s hot in Florida politics. SaintPetersBlog has for three years running been ranked by the Washington Post as the best state-based blog in Florida. In addition to his publishing efforts, Peter is a political consultant to several of the state’s largest governmental affairs and public relations firms. Peter lives in St. Petersburg with his wife, Michelle, and their daughter, Ella.