I recently moved to Florida from South Africa, and I couldn’t wait to start flying my drone. Being new to the area I knew I had to be overly cautious about not flying in the wrong areas. The last thing I wanted was to get into trouble.
So I did my research and found some beautiful hot spots around the state of Florida where you can fly your drone. I even found a spot where you can get some footage of dolphins.
Here’s a summary of the best places you can fly your drone in Florida:
| CITY: | AREA: | FEATURE: | MAP: | |
| 1. | Altamonte City | Cranes Roost Park | Beautiful lake | VIEW ON MAP |
| 2. | City of Apopka | Kelly Park | Plenty of animal life | VIEW ON MAP |
| 3. | City of Apopka | Shadow Bay Park | Footage of birdlife and alligators | VIEW ON MAP |
| 4. | City of Apopka | Fernwood Park | Plenty of boating and fishing | VIEW ON MAP |
| 5. | Florida Keys | Scout Key | Get footage of an old rugged bridge | VIEW ON MAP |
| 6. | Florida Keys | Conch Key | Ocean views | VIEW ON MAP |
| 7. | Florida Keys | Sugarloaf Key | Ocean views | VIEW ON MAP |
| 8. | Naples Florida | Vineyards park | Very few trees | VIEW ON MAP |
| 9. | Orlando | Barber Park | Perfect for drone training | VIEW ON MAP |
| 10. | Orlando | Shadow Bay Park | Get footage of alligators | VIEW ON MAP |
| 11. | Tampa | Hampton Park | Easy access | VIEW ON MAP |
| 12. | Cape Coral | Sanibel Island | Quiet Island with beautiful beach footage | VIEW ON MAP |
| 13. | Cape Coral | SeaHawk Park | Get Lighthouse Drone Footage | VIEW ON MAP |
| 14. | St. Petersburg | Beach Coral Reef | Amazing Beach Footage | VIEW ON MAP |
| 15. | St. Petersburg | Seminole Park | VIEW ON MAP | |
| 16. | St. Petersburg | River Tower Park | Water Tower Footage and Drone Racing! | VIEW ON MAP |
| 17. | Sarasota City | Lido Key Beach | Beautiful Drone Sunset Footage | VIEW ON MAP |
| 18. | Destin City | In front of Shoreline Towers on beach | VIEW ON MAP | |
| 19. | West Palm Beach | Dyer Park | Extremely Quiet | VIEW ON MAP |
| 20. | Jacksonville | Alexandria park | VIEW ON MAP | |
| 21. | Jacksonville | Reddie Point Preserve | Get Video Footage of Dolphins! | VIEW ON MAP |
But before I dive into that, I think it’s worth mentioning that just because county or city drone laws allow you to fly your drone at the places below, you need to keep in mind that you still need to stick to FAA drone laws. Here’s a quick summary of FAA drone laws.
- Make sure your drone is registered in Florida if it’s 0.55 lbs (250g) and less than 55 lbs (25kg.)
- Don’t fly drones over 55 lbs without the appropriate documents.
- Do not fly recklessly.
- Don’t fly over 400 feet above ground level.
- Keep your drone in a straight “line of sight.”
- Don’t fly drones close to sensitive areas and over private land.
If you’re new to flying drones in the area, I highly recommend you read our article that summarizes important drone laws in Florida.
SPOT 01. Altamonte Springs – Cranes Roost Park – Beautiful lake
Over-all a great area to launch your drone. Apart from standard FAA drone laws, make sure you don’t launch your drone during events. Also, the park tends to be the busiest at around 3 pm. I prefer to go in the mornings. It’s a lot quieter.
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Beautiful view of the lake.
- Are there lots of trees around? There are a few trees. Not many.
- Access: It’s easy to access the park.
- How quiet? It depends on the time you go. Avoid afternoons.
SPOT 02. City of Apopka – Kelly Park – Plenty of animal life
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Beautiful park with animal life, water and trees.
- There are a lot of trees in this park which makes it hard to navigate for beginners.
- Park is easy to access.
- How quiet? Park is very quiet especially during week-days.
SPOT 03. City of Apopka – Shadow Bay Park – Footage of birdlife and alligators
This area has no power lines, very few people and is very scenic. There’s also a lot of wild-life you’ll be able to film with your drone. Such as birdlife and alligators. Beautiful spot!
Best area? Park at the main office and ask the local rangers. They will point you in the direction of a lake that’s only 5min walk away.
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: A lot of birdlife and alligators. Park also includes a lake. Will make for amazing video footage.
- Are there lots of trees around? Plenty of trees, however on the lakeside there are fewer trees.
- Access: It’s easy to access the park.
- How quiet? Very few people.
SPOT 04. City of Apopka – Fernwood Park – Plenty of boating and fishing
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: This area has a lot of water and is popular for boating and fishing. You will get beautiful drone footage.
- Are there lots of trees around? Plenty of trees. Not great for drone training.
- Access: It’s easy to access the park.
- How quiet? Very few people.
SPOT 05. Florida Keys – Scout Key – Get footage of an old rugged bridge
I found this video on YouTube posted by Brenda. He traveled and flew his drone in three different areas it the keys. In all three locations, it seems like Brenda launched his drone from rest stops. Which is perfectly legal.
Just keep in mind that because of the vast amount of water, you probably don’t want to fly here as a beginner.
The reason why Brenda stopped here is to get some video footage of a cool looking bridge that looks old rugged and broken down that goes into a Bahia honda state park. Make sure you don’t take off or land in the state park though. Launching and landing in state parks for recreation drones are currently not allowed.
Summary of the area:
- Scenery: Pretty much what you would expect for the keys. What makes this spot prime is the old rugged bridge.
- Are there lots of trees around? NO trees, but plenty of water for your drone to dive in. So be careful if you’re a noob.
- Access: It’s easy to access the park. All you have to do is a park in a rest stop.
- How quiet? There are a lot of cars that travel up and down the main bridge, however they don’t get in the way.
SPOT 06. Florida Keys – Conch Key – Ocean views
Summary of the area:
- Scenery: Beautiful ocean views.
- Are there lots of trees around? Again very few trees, but plenty of water.
- Access: It’s easy to access the park. All you have to do is a park in a rest stop.
- How quiet? There are a lot of cars that travel up and down the main bridge, however, they don’t get in the way.
SPOT 07. Florida Keys – Sugarloaf Key – Ocean views
Summary of the area:
- Scenery: Beautiful ocean views.
- Are there lots of trees around? Again very few trees, but plenty of water.
- Access: It’s easy to access the park. All you have to do is a park in a rest stop.
- How quiet? There are a lot of cars that travel up and down the main bridge, however, they don’t get in the way.
SPOT 08. Naples Florida – Vineyards park
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: This is a community park so not much to see. Apart from a few dams in the distance.
- Are there lots of trees around? Very few trees at this park. Great place to do some drone training.
- Access: Easy to access since it’s a community park.
- How quiet? I can get busy in the afternoon and school holidays. Just try to get your drone there in the mornings.
SPOT 09. Orlando – Barber Park – Perfect for drone training
At the end of the field, there’s a lake that’s very scenic. Also, another tip, get there before the schools close for the day. After school, hours are generally when it gets the busiest.
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: This is a community park so not much to see. Apart from a few dams in the distance.
- Are there lots of trees around? Very few trees at this park. Great place to do some drone training.
- Access: Easy to access since it’s a community park.
- How quiet? I can get busy in the afternoon and school holidays. Just try to get your drone there in the mornings.
SPOT 10. Orlando – Shadow Bay Park – Get footage of alligators
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: This area is beautiful. It includes lakes with alligators so you could get some nice video footage here.
- Are there lots of trees around? Plenty of trees in the area here. So make sure you take control of that drone!
- Access: Easy to access since it’s a community park.
- How quiet? I can get busy in the afternoon and school holidays. Just try to get your drone there in the mornings.
SPOT 11. Tampa – Hampton Park
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Not much scenery offered here. Apart from a few tennis courts and community dams.
- Are there lots of trees around? Some trees here and there. There are areas that you can go to with fewer trees.
- Access: Very easy to access.
- How quiet? Can get busy during the afternoon.
SPOT 12. Cape Coral – Sanibel Island – Quiet Island with beautiful beach footage
Summary of the island:
- Scenery: Beautiful scenery as you can see in the image above. It also has a lighthouse at the end of the island.
- Are there lots of trees around? A lot of trees, so stick to the coastline when launching.
- Access: Very easy to access.
- How quiet? Very quiet. Not many people who live on this island.
SPOT 13. Cape Coral – SeaHawk Park – Get Lighthouse Drone Footage
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Beautiful scenery as you can see in the image above. It also has a lighthouse at the end of the island.
- Are there lots of trees around? A lot of trees, so stick to the coastline when launching.
- Access: Very easy to access.
- How quiet? Very quiet. Not many people who live on this island.
SPOT 14. St. Petersburg – Amazing Beach Footage
The area where you lift off your drone is between trade winds resort and coral reef.
Summary of the beach:
- Scenery: Amazing views from the beach. However not much else to see over the water.
- Are there lots of trees around? No trees at all.
- Access: Very easy to access.
- How quiet? It’s a public beach so it can get extremely busy.
SPOT 15. St. Petersburg – Seminole Park
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Not much to see around this park.
- Are there lots of trees around? There are quite a lot of trees in this park. However, there are areas in the park with fewer trees.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? Public park. Busiest times seem to be between 12 pm and 5 pm.
SPOT 16. St. Petersburg River Tower Park – Water Tower Footage and Drone Racing!
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: The Sulphur Springs water tower is the highlight of this park. You should be able to get some great drone footage of the water tower. There’s also a river that runs on the edge of the park.
- Are there lots of trees around? Very few trees in this area. I’ve noticed a lot of people do drone racing here.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? Pretty quiet all day.
SPOT 17. Sarasota City – Lido Key Beach – Beautiful Drone Sunset Footage
Summary of the beach:
- Scenery: Public beach area with beautiful sunsets.
- Are there lots of trees around? No trees. Only a lot of water.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? Pretty quiet all day, however, the busiest time seems to be around 5-6 pm after everyone gets out of work.
SPOT 18. Destin City – In front of Shoreline Towers on beach
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Public beach area with beautiful beach scenery.
- Are there lots of trees around? No trees. Only a lot of water.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? Choose your times wisely, it gets extremely busy at times.
SPOT 19. West Palm Beach – Dyer Park – Extremely Quiet
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Not very scenic. A very flat area with a lot of dams.
- Are there lots of trees around? No trees. Great area to train with your drone.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? This area is extremely quiet which makes it perfect for beginners. Just avoid the park when they have any sports games plating.
SPOT 20. Jacksonville – Alexandria park
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: Not very scenic. A flat area surrounded by trees.
- Are there lots of trees around? No trees in the center. Great area to train with your drone.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? The busiest time seems to be from 4 pm to 7 pm after everyone gets out of work.
SPOT 21. Jacksonville – Reddie Point Preserve – Get Video Footage of Dolphins!
Summary of the park:
- Scenery: There’s a lot to see at this park. Dolphins show up daily, so if you’re willing to fly your drone over the water you could get some amazing video footage.
- Are there lots of trees around? There are a lot of trees. However, there are some patches of the park with very few trees.
- Access: Anyone can access.
- How quiet? The busiest time seems to be from 1 pm to 5 pm. So try to go in the mornings if you can.
NOTE: I will be updating this list regularly, so make sure you come back! If you have any drone hotspot favorites please send them to me. I would love to add them to this list!
