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After years of overlooking Florida’s growing drone economy,‭ ‬Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio are finally taking notice.

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Ryan English: Rick Scott’s, Marco Rubio’s Drone Bill Threatens Florida Small Businesses

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After years of overlooking Florida’s growing drone economy,‭ ‬Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio are finally taking notice.

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After years of overlooking Florida’s growing drone economy,‭ ‬Senator Rick Scott and Senator Marco Rubio are finally taking notice.‭ ‬Unfortunately,‭ ‬instead of providing a shot in the arm for Florida small business and public safety agencies,‭ ‬their plan titled the‭ “‬American Security Drone Act”‭ ‬would destroy Florida’s drone economy and deprive dozens of‭ ‬government agencies across‭ ‬our state the tools they need to safely and effectively perform their jobs.

The bill,‭ ‬which seeks to strengthen U.S.‭ ‬national security interests and protect intellectual property rights by banning government use of certain foreign-made drones,‭ ‬is uninformed and misguided.

As a military veteran and small business owner,‭ ‬I support strong security measures—but a plan based on country of origin does nothing to bolster security.‭ ‬The reality is that nearly all electronics companies rely on parts from the global supply chain.‭ ‬Instead of banning these critical components outright,‭ ‬our representatives need to work with U.S.‭ ‬businesses,‭ ‬public safety agencies,‭ ‬and drone and security experts to develop industry standards that increase safety,‭ ‬provide real security,‭ ‬and,‭ ‬most important,‭ ‬offer a practical solution that won’t cripple small U.S.‭ ‬businesses.

There is too much at stake to get this wrong,‭ ‬which is why I recently sent a letter to Senator Scott and Senator Rubio detailing my concerns.‭ ‬My company,‭ ‬FLYMOTION,‭ ‬is based in Tampa and has evolved into a thriving technology company that employs more than a dozen people in Florida alone,‭ ‬all of whom work tirelessly to keep our state’s public safety infrastructure strong and contribute to the local economy daily.‭ ‬Our success is a testament to our hard work and the importance of an open U.S.‭ ‬business environment that supports entrepreneurs and innovation.

Our customers,‭ ‬including many of Florida’s public safety agencies,‭ ‬depend on our services to execute vital missions and better serve our community.‭ ‬For example,‭ ‬FLYMOTION has helped many Florida fire departments collect valuable infrared data so firefighters can more safely navigate burning buildings.‭ ‬In the wake of Hurricane Irma,‭ ‬FLYMOTION helped large utility companies more efficiently restore power to affected areas,‭ ‬which ultimately saved lives and allowed businesses to return to normal operations more quickly.

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More broadly,‭ ‬there are more than‭ ‬1‭ ‬million civilian Unmanned Aircraft Systems registered in the U.S.,‭ ‬and commercial‭ ‬drone use is expected to triple by‭ ‬2023,‭ ‬according to the U.S.‭ ‬Federal Aviation Administration’s‭ ‬(FAA‭) ‬most recent‭ ‬Aerospace Forecast.

This growth helps fuel the U.S.‭ ‬commercial drone economy,‭ ‬which is expected to surpass‭ ‬$82‭ ‬billion and create more than‭ ‬100,000‭ ‬jobs by‭ ‬2025,‭ ‬according to an‭ ‬economic report by the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International‭ (‬AUVSI‭)‬.

This rise in drone popularity and use cases is great news for FLYMOTION and other Florida-based communities.‭ ‬However,‭ ‬Senator Scott’s and Senator Rubio’s plan‭ ‬will halt the growing commercial U.S.‭ ‬drone industry and Florida will miss out on the promise of drone technology.‭ ‬I choose to run‭ ‬my business on reliable‭ ‬products that lead the market in safety,‭ ‬security,‭ ‬quality,‭ ‬and ease-of-use.‭ ‬I only ask,‭ ‬on behalf of my business and my employees,‭ ‬that I am allowed to continue to do so.

 

Ryan‭ ‬English‭ ‬is the co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of FLYMOTION.‭ ‬He is‭ ‬responsible for the strategic growth and visionary leadership of FLYMOTION.‭ ‬In addition to his military service and‭ ‬public safety background,‭ ‬Ryan‭ ‬has over a decade of entrepreneurship experience.

 

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1 Comment

1 Comment

  1. Christopher Korody

    November 23, 2019, 7:08 pm at 7:08 pm

    Ryan – great write-up. Might I suggest that you drop the AUVSI number – it’s like a cat with 9 million lives but really hasn’t stood the test of time since it was first published in 2014. BTW I am not much taken with the FAA forecast either. The real-world growth of the industry is plenty impressive. What is for sure is that this bill will really set back public safety which depends on Federal dollars for funding in various ways and as you know is making more and more use of drones. When you consider that the F-35 and Air Force One both use parts from China it becomes apparent how monumental a task it would be to build everything without Chinese suppliers – or what a bad idea this bill is.

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Ed Dean is a leading radio and news media personality including hosting the #1 statewide radio talk show in Florida. Contact Ed.Dean@FloridaDaily.com

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