![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9b1aec5a-9b4b-45f7-9419-eab66dbd06d8.jpeg\" "\\"Amazon")
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Amazon Prime Air will be coming to Tracy for drone deliveries.<\/p>\n
Provided by Amazon Prime Air<\/p>\n
USA TODAY Network, Reuters<\/p>\n
The city of Tallahassee has no say in whether Amazon Prime Air takes flight with new drone-powered delivery services in the state capital.<\/p>\n
That’s because the state has preempted it. <\/p>\n
Last week, the Tallahassee Democrat first reported the company’s plans to start drone delivery services in the area. <\/p>\n
The company then announced a “Community Meet-and-Greet” event from 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 20 at the Tucker Civic Center.<\/p>\n
\u27a7 Amazon Drone Delivery Community Meet-and-Greet – Tallahassee, FL<\/p>\n
“Ever wonder what a delivery drone looks like up close? Amazon Prime Air is coming to Tallahassee, and we’re inviting the community to meet the MK30, the drone that will soon be delivering packages to your neighborhood. Stop by to see our drone on display, ask our team questions, and learn what Prime Air means for your community,” its Facebook post said. <\/p>\n
Tallahassee appears to be part of a massive wave of cities that will see airborne deliveries, as the company is dramatically expanding its Prime Air drone service. The goal is to reach nearly 500 U.S. cities and towns by the end of 2026, according to a USA TODAY article last month.<\/p>\n
Tallahassee city attorney: State regulates drone services, not us<\/p>\n
The Democrat obtained a Sept. 23 email from City Attorney Amy Toman to Tallahassee City Commissioner Jack Porter, who asked if the city has the ability to regulate drone deliveries. <\/p>\n
Toman explained that, under state law, local governments generally cannot regulate drone operations or restrict drone delivery services through local ordinances.<\/p>\n
“Pursuant to state law (s. 330.41, F.S.), the authority to regulate drones is preempted to the state except as provided in federal regulations,” Toman wrote and cited the statue details. “Drone delivery services are explicitly covered by the statute.”<\/p>\n
There are some exceptions when it comes to some applicable local laws and zoning standards that do not specifically target drones. <\/p>\n
In general, though, local governments retain authority to enforce laws related to issues like nuisances, voyeurism, harassment and property damage. However, these laws can’t target drone use, according to the state.<\/p>\n
What city commissioners say about drone regulations<\/p>\n
The Democrat reached out to all four city commissioners and the mayor for comment about the potential drone delivery. As of mid-morning today, Porter said she wasn’t aware of the city’s involvement and didn’t know more than what’s been reported. <\/p>\n
She also said, in a text, “I do know we are preempted from regulating the drones, according to the City Attorney.”<\/p>\n
Tallahassee City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow also said local governments are “preempted by law from regulating drone flights.”<\/p>\n
“I haven’t received much information about Amazon’s plans here but I’ve seen the complaints from other cities regarding noise, privacy and safety concerns,” said Matlow, in a text to the Democrat. “We will continue to monitor it. I’d imagine Tallahassee’s tree coverage will make it difficult for them to fly a lot of neighborhoods without getting dangerously low.”<\/p>\n
Tallahassee Commissioner Curtis Richardson, and Tallahassee Mayor John Dailey did not respond to the Democrat’s request for comment.<\/p>\n
According to the Democrat’s previous reporting, drone delivery service has caught national attention for a series of high-profile mishaps.<\/p>\n
In one recent incident, captured on video in the Phoenix area and reported by The Arizona Republic, a Prime Air drone kicked up such a large cloud of dust while descending that it briefly turned a residential yard into what observers described as a mini dust storm, highlighting concerns about rotor wash in desert neighborhoods.<\/p>\n
In Richardson, Texas, city officials there gave Prime Air zoning approval in December for the drone use and it’s caused a stir among residents, according to entrepreneur.com. <\/p>\n
The 83-pound delivery drones, capable of carrying up to five pounds of cargo within a seven-and-a-half-mile radius, fly as low as 13 feet during drop-off, hovering while packages tumble out onto lawns and driveways, the article said while citing the The New York Times.<\/p>\n
Texas appeared to allow cities more latitude in regulating Amazon drone activity.<\/p>\n
“Under city regulations, deliveries can operate from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m., and Amazon has assured residents that the drones would fly outbound at an average of 225 feet high. The maximum they can fly, according to the F.A.A., is 400 feet,” the NYT article said.<\/p>\n
Williams-Cox, who is running for re-election and facing off against former Tallahassee city commissioner and mayor Dot Inman Johnson, said the drone delivery service “would need to be regulated” during a Sept. 28 candidate forum. <\/p>\n
“We’ve learned again and again. I listen, I learn and I lead,” she said, in response to the question of whether potential drone service needs to be regulated. “I’ve learned from the Flock (Safety Cameras) issue and made a motion to suspend Flock because of the surveillance concerns. So, absolutely, it needs to be regulated.”<\/p>\n
A day later, she said in a text to the Democrat that it was her “understanding that this activity is preempted by the state legislature.”<\/p>\n
Want to attend the Amazon Air drone delivery community meeting?<\/p>\n
When: Tuesday, October 20: 4 to 7 p.m.Venue: Donald L. Tucker Civic Center | Conference Room AAddress: 505 W Pensacola St, Tallahassee, FL 32301What: Light bites, refreshments, and Prime Air swag included. This is a free event open to the public.<\/p>\n
Contact Economic Development Reporter TaMaryn Waters at tlwaters@tallahassee.com and follow @TaMarynWaters on X.<\/p>\n
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Tallahassee can’t regulate Amazon Prime Air drones | Exclusive<\/p>\n
Reporting by TaMaryn Waters, Tallahassee Democrat \/ Tallahassee Democrat<\/p>\n
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
![\"Amazon](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/9020c1f1-20be-4a45-a13f-558ca937eee9.jpeg\" "\\"9020c1f1-20be-4a45-a13f-558ca937eee9\\"")
Amazon Prime Air will be coming for drone deliveries. Provided by Amazon Prime Air USA TODAY Network, Reuters <\/p>\n
Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect<\/p>\n
This story was originally published September 30, 2026 at 5:08 AM.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Amazon Prime Air will be coming to Tracy for drone deliveries. Provided by Amazon Prime Air USA TODAY…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":415372,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":["post-415371","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee","tag-tallahassee-headlines","tag-tallahassee-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415371","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=415371"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/415371\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/415372"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=415371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=415371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=415371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}