Palm Bay, about an hour southeast of Orlando, could be the new home of a 30-acre drone park, reports Florida Today, designed for drone use by hobbyists and the Florida Institute of Technology's unmanned aerial vehicles program.
"Economically, it makes sense," James Marshal, the city's Bayfront Community Redevelopment Agency administrator, told Florida Today. "Academically, it makes sense. From a high-tech economic development standpoint, workforce attraction, it makes sense.
"And we've talked to employers like Harris — who think their employees would eat it up."
The city is waiting to hear back from FIT, the FAA, and Bevard Multirotor before developing a detailed plan.
There are no "drone parks" currently in South Florida and users are limited when and where they can fly their UAVs -- above sporting events and near airports are obviously big no-nos.
However, drones are booming in popularity, and their use has bled over to the real estate world. They've become useful tools for brokers looking to have photographers capture unique angles of their properties, such as the below aerial of Mashta Point in Key Biscayne, taken by Jason Spiewak.
- Palm Bay Drone Park Could Be Created [Florida Today]
- Palm Bay May Designate a Drone Park [TRD]