Florida government agencies banned from using Chinese drones

DeSantis administration bans Florida gov’t use of Chinese drones

A new DeSantis administration rule bans use of Chinese-made drones
Captain: "We've been pushed back five years now. We're starting over again"
Senator: "I’m going to get these DJIs back up and flying"

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (NewsNation) — Florida government agencies are no longer allowed to use drones that were made in China after a Gov. Ron DeSantis administration rule banning them took effect last week.

The new rule forbids government agencies, including police and fire departments, from using drones made by China-based Da Jiang Innovations, or DJI.

Law enforcement agencies across the state are reportedly unhappy about the new rule since they are no longer able to use millions of dollars worth of drone equipment, according to the Tampa Bay Times.

A Broward County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson told NewsNation their department had to ground more than 60 of their Chinese-made drones that cost more than a quarter of a million dollars.

“It has impacted us in a way where I believe that we’ve been pushed back five years now. We’re starting over again,” Capt. Luis Valeriano with the Miami Dade Fire Rescue Drone Program said.

Valeriano said the 25 drones that his program had cost roughly $80,000.

Law enforcement officers said the DJI drones are among the most popular in the world and the best equipped to help pursue criminals, warn police of armed suspects and identify missing people.

“Drones are an integral part of our response,” Collier County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Megan Kitchenoff said.

The DeSantis administration claimed that the Chinese-made drones are a secur i ty risk. The administration also pointed out that the Department of Defense, the Department of the Interior and other federal agencies have banned DJI and other Chinese-made drones over the potential for spying.

As part of the administration’s new rules, government agencies can only use drones made by a handful of “approved manufacturers,” mostly based in the U.S. But some officers told NewsNation that the replacements are more expensive and less capable.

“I’m sad to hear you have your drones in closets. And I hope to hell we don’t have anyone lose a life to this silly rule,” Sen. Tom Wright (R-New Smyrna Beach) said. “And I pledge to you today, and I have pledged to the secretary, I’m going to get these DJIs back up and flying if it’s the last thing I do.”

Wright said DeSantis didn’t provide much — if any — evidence that DJI drones pose a security risk. He sponsored a bill this session to push back the state’s deadline and give police more time to replace their Chinese-made drones, but it hasn’t received a hearing.