Rick Scott Backs DJI Ban. Florida Idled an Estimated $200M Fleet

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Senator Rick Scott sent a letter dated October 14, 2026, to FCC Chairman Brendan Carr urging the agency to keep DJI and Autel Robotics on the FCC's Covered List and to reject both companies' pending legal challenges. DJI has filed a petition for reconsideration, while Autel has submitted an application for review — both contesting the designations that block their products from receiving new FCC equipment authorizations. Scott wants the FCC to deny both challenges, which would leave each manufacturer unable to bring new models into the U.S. market.

The Senator also cited a classified Pentagon report in support of the restrictions. Scott, who sponsored the legislation behind Section 1709 of the FY2025 National Defense Authorization Act, stated he had read the classified report and that it covers both companies. That section directed a national-security review of DJI and Autel within one year of enactment; when no formal determination was delivered before the December 22, 2025 deadline, the FCC's automatic listing provision was triggered, and the agency's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau formally added DJI, Autel, and all foreign-produced drone critical components to the Covered List.

The FCC also placed redacted, unclassified cover pages of Department of War correspondence into the DJI docket (ET Docket 26-22) and the Autel docket (ET Docket 26-23) via Public Notice DA 26-1106 on October 14, 2026. The FCC clarified, however, that it did not rely on those Pentagon materials when making the original Covered List additions. A separate follow-up notice, DA 26-1112, placed Scott's letter into both dockets the following day.

DJI has also taken its challenge to federal court, petitioning the Ninth Circuit for review of the December 2025 listing. The FCC moved to dismiss, arguing the case was premature, but the Ninth Circuit denied that motion in May 2026 and directed the FCC to address jurisdictional arguments in an answering brief. DJI's opening brief is due November 2, 2026.

The federal-level proceedings have a clear state-level precedent — and cautionary tale — in Florida. Under Senate Bill 44, signed into law with an effective date of July 1, 2021, and codified as Florida Statute 934.50, state and local government agencies in Florida — including law enforcement, fire departments, and emergency services — were required to fly only drones from an approved manufacturers list published by the Florida Department of Management Services. That list mirrored the Department of Defense's original Blue UAS roster: Skydio, Parrot, Altavian, Teal Drones, and Vantage Robotics. DJI and Autel were excluded from the outset.

At the time the state ban took hold, Florida state Senator Tom Wright — SB 44's own sponsor — estimated that police and local government agencies had collectively spent approximately $200 million on the Chinese-manufactured aircraft they were now required to ground. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement subsequently allocated $25 million in grant funding to help agencies replace their idled fleets, an amount representing only one-eighth of Wright's estimated replacement value. Wright himself publicly described the funding as inadequate, and noted that by 2023, American manufacturers had roughly doubled their prices, meaning a full-replacement programme would cost at least twice the original $200 million fleet value.

A 2022 survey by the Airborne International Response Team (AIRT) found that 92% of Florida government drone programmes were operating DJI aircraft at the time of the ban, and 22% also operated Autel drones. Ninety-five percent of agencies surveyed said the transition would negatively impact their drone operations. Some agencies shut down their programmes entirely, unable to afford compliant replacements or find approved models capable of performing equivalent missions.

The grounded aircraft were transferred to the University of South Florida's cybersecurity centre for evaluation of the risks they allegedly posed — though no public security analysis from that assessment has been published. A 2024 independent audit of the DJI Mavic 3 Enterprise by FTI Consulting found no evidence of data transmission to China, with data stored on U.S. servers under U.S. jurisdiction.

The FCC's December 2025 Covered List addition does not ground aircraft already in service; drones previously authorised by the FCC remain legal to own and operate. What the listing blocks is new equipment authorisation — meaning new DJI and Autel models cannot be imported, marketed, or sold in the United States going forward. A component-level ban adopted in July 2026 extended this to cover U.S.-assembled drones that incorporate logic-bearing hardware components — flight controllers, radio modules, camera boards, or gimbal controllers — sourced from DJI or Autel.

Technical Breakdown

Regulatory mechanism: FCC Covered List designation under Section 1709 of the FY2025 NDAA, implemented December 22, 2025. Blocks new equipment authorisations for any foreign-produced UAS or UAS critical component.

Component-level scope (July 2026 extension): New FCC authorisations denied for U.S.-assembled drones incorporating DJI- or Autel-sourced flight controllers, radio modules, camera boards, or gimbal controllers.

Florida state restriction (F.S. 934.50): Applies exclusively to state and local government agencies. Civilian and commercial operators are unaffected.

Florida approved manufacturers (under SB 44): Skydio, Parrot, Altavian, Teal Drones, Vantage Robotics — modelled on the DoD's original Blue UAS cleared list. The list is static and does not automatically incorporate newer Blue UAS approvals.

Fleet displacement scale: Approximately $200 million in agency drone assets grounded statewide (Florida). AIRT survey data: 92% of Florida government drone programmes operated DJI at time of ban; 22% also used Autel.

Replacement funding gap: $25 million state grant allocation vs. an estimated $400 million-plus full replacement cost (at 2023 U.S. manufacturer pricing).

FCC dockets: ET Docket 26-22 (DJI) and ET Docket 26-23 (Autel). DJI's Ninth Circuit opening brief due November 2, 2026.

Industry Impact

For DJI and Autel: Both companies face a shrinking U.S. commercial addressable market as existing authorised stock depletes and no new models can enter. The Ninth Circuit litigation and FCC administrative proceedings represent the primary remaining pathways to reversal, but the timeline extends at minimum into mid-2027.

For domestic UAS manufacturers: Manufacturers on the Blue UAS cleared list — including Skydio, Parrot, and a growing roster of subsequently approved companies — face the largest near-term procurement opportunity. However, the Florida experience indicates that pricing and performance gaps relative to DJI have been a persistent friction point for agency buyers, with some programmes going dark rather than transitioning.

For U.S.-based drone integrators: The July 2026 component-level ban complicates supply chains for integrators assembling drones domestically with foreign-sourced electronics. Any flight controller, radio module, or camera board from DJI or Autel in a new platform now triggers a Covered List bar on FCC authorisation.

For public-safety and government operators: State agencies in Florida provide the most documented case study. With 95% of agencies surveyed reporting negative operational impact and replacement funding covering only a fraction of fleet value, the procurement and capability gap is measurable. Agencies in other states watching the federal Covered List proceedings should model their transition planning on Florida's documented shortfalls.

For investors: The regulatory trajectory — confirmed by a federal listing, a component-level extension, a Senator's intervention, and an active legislative history — signals continued market-access restriction for Chinese UAS manufacturers. Capital flowing into U.S. drone manufacturing and supply-chain diversification reflects this structural shift.