---
type: "Bill"
title: "Drones"
description: "Drones; Adds exception to prohibited uses of drone for managing & eradicating invasive exotic plants or animals on public lands & suppressing & mitigating wildfire threats."
jurisdiction: "us/states/fl"
legislature: "Florida Legislature"
session: "2020"
identifier: "HB 659"
citation: "Florida HB 659 (2020)"
classification: ["bill"]
subjects: ["criminal procedure and corrections"]
status: "enacted"
chapter_law: "2020-131"
primary_sponsors: ["Fischer"]
version_count: 3
action_count: 32
vote_count: 5
first_action: "2019-11-15"
last_action: "2020-06-30"
source: "openstates"
source_identifier: "ocd-bill/b3ae0f02-b038-408f-ba81-33346036e4d0"
source_url: "http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/659/ByCategory"
source_hash: "7b28b70527bbacab1128ad344a2672a6202de19da06047c05accad4c03e32112"
vintage: "2026-07-01"
source_snapshot: "https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump"
retrieved_at: "2026-07-06"
confidence: "reported"
tags: ["legislation", "bill", "us-fl"]
---

# Florida HB 659 (2020) — Drones

Drones; Adds exception to prohibited uses of drone for managing & eradicating invasive exotic plants or animals on public lands & suppressing & mitigating wildfire threats.

**Enacted** — Laws of Florida, Chapter 2020-131.

## Version chain

The bill's text revisions, in order — the diff chain from filing to enrollment.

1. **H 659 Filed** (filed) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/659/BillText/Filed/PDF)
2. **H 659 c1** (committee substitute) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/659/BillText/c1/PDF)
3. **H 659 er** (enrolled) — [source](http://flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2020/659/BillText/er/PDF)

## Votes

- Favorable With Committee Substitute (Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee) — **11–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable (Agriculture & Natural Resources Subcommittee) — **12–0** (pass) · lower
- Favorable (State Affairs Committee) — **21–0** (pass) · lower
- Passage, Third Reading — **114–0** (pass) · lower
- Third Reading — **40–0** (pass) · upper

## Sponsors

- Fischer — primary (person)

## Timeline

The legislative action history — every referral, reading, and vote.

- **2019-11-15** Filed `filing`
- **2019-12-03** Referred to Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; State Affairs Committee `referral-committee`
- **2020-01-13** On Committee agenda-- Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee, 01/15/20, 1:00 pm, 12 HOB
- **2020-01-14** Introduced `introduction`
- **2020-01-15** Favorable by Agriculture and Natural Resources Subcommittee; YEAS 12 NAYS 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-01-15** Now in Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee
- **2020-01-24** On Committee agenda-- Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee, 01/28/20, 9:00 am, Morris Hall
- **2020-01-28** CS by Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee; YEAS 11 NAYS 0
- **2020-01-28** Pending review of CS under Rule 7.18(c)
- **2020-01-28** CS by Agriculture and Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee read 1st time
- **2020-01-29** Now in State Affairs Committee
- **2020-02-11** On Committee agenda-- State Affairs Committee, 02/13/20, 8:00 am, Morris Hall
- **2020-02-13** Favorable by- State Affairs Committee; YEAS 21 NAYS 0 `committee-passage-favorable`
- **2020-02-13** Placed on Calendar
- **2020-02-20** Placed on Special Order Calendar, 02/26/20
- **2020-02-26** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-02-26** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-02-26** CS passed; YEAS 114 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-03** In Messages
- **2020-03-04** Referred to Environment and Natural Resources; Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Rules `referral-committee`
- **2020-03-04** Received
- **2020-03-05** Withdrawn from Environment and Natural Resources; Governmental Oversight and Accountability; Rules `withdrawal`
- **2020-03-05** Placed on Calendar, on 2nd reading
- **2020-03-05** Substituted for CS/SB 822
- **2020-03-05** Read 2nd time `reading-2`
- **2020-03-05** Placed on 3rd reading
- **2020-03-06** Read 3rd time `reading-3`
- **2020-03-06** CS passed; YEAS 40 NAYS 0 `passage`
- **2020-03-06** Ordered enrolled
- **2020-06-17** Signed by Officers and presented to Governor
- **2020-06-29** Approved by Governor `executive-signature`
- **2020-06-30** Chapter No. 2020-131

## Source

OpenStates / OpenCivicData bulk snapshot [2026-07-01](https://data.openstates.org/daily/2026-07-01/public.pgdump); origin `ocd-bill/b3ae0f02-b038-408f-ba81-33346036e4d0`. Confidence: reported (aggregated from official Florida legislature records).