Drone Ordinance Could Be Lifted in Palm Beach

Updated: September 24, 2015

As technological advancements continue to take place, mechanisms like drones become more commonplace. The Palm Beach Daily News recently did an excerpt on drones and explained that drones in Palm Beach can be useful for a variety of purposes and for a variety of organizations such as, “police departments, commercial business and environmental monitoring.”

Drone Ordinance Palm Beach

Regardless of what drones are capable of, the Town of Palm Beach has an ordinance banning “aircraft” from flying below 1000 feet. However, it does not specifically mention nor does it define drones and their use.

Deputy Town of Palm Beach Manager Jay Boodheshwar explains that drone usage has recently come up as a pressing issue for the Town Council of The Town of Palm Beach because they, “have received requests from various groups to consider allowing limited usage.” Since the Town Council and Boodheshwar have taken this into consideration, exploration has begun to thoroughly examine the situation and determine possible relaxation of the ordinance.

The Town staff are struggling with the idea of rewriting the ordinance, mainly because they are concerned about recreational use of drones. If any person has access to and can operate one, privacy could be compromised. Community leaders are also worried about the possible safety risks that could come into play if the ordinance is lifted – potential risks such as equipment malfunctions which could cause the devices to fall onto people or property. When asked about the complexity involved in changing the ordinance, Boodheshwar responded, “The extent of any change (if any) to our ordinances is yet to be determined.  Assuming that ORS does recommend a change, allowing limited usage, an ordinance would be prepared to memorialize the code change.  This ordinance will require two readings at future Town Council meetings before it can be adopted.”

Although drone advocates are pushing for commercial businesses and police to be able to take advantage of the devices, the issue will not be settled until November when the Town Council meets again to discuss it. Until then, the drones will remain grounded.