Florida bill joins list of ADS-B fee bans nationwide

A handful of airports in the Sunshine State were among the first in the nation to impose automated landing fees based on ADS-B data used by third-party vendors to generate invoices. AOPA immediately pushed back, calling on the FAA to prohibit the use of ADS-B data for purposes unrelated to safety, such as the creation of electronic toll booths on runways that are known to record nearby aircraft that never enter the pattern.

Rep. Doug Bankson (R-District 39), an active general aviation pilot, introduced a bill in November to prohibit the use of ADS-B data for fee collection. The legislation was co-sponsored by Rep. Kim Kendall (R-District 18), a former air traffic controller, and has cleared three committees with changes along the way that limit the landing fee exemption to aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds operated under FAR Part 91. The lawmakers gained the support of Sen. Tom Wright (R-District 8), also a pilot, who introduced S.B.422. Wright's bill, like the House version, was also reviewed by three committees before passing on a 36-2 floor vote on February 19. With the House poised to vote on the Senate version, Bankson said he's gratified that the measure has gained support.

“I’m so pleased that the bill is making it through both chambers with flying colors. This has been a passion for me to protect GA pilots’ freedom and make sure ADS-B technology is used for its intended purposes, to keep our skies safe,” Bankson said.

AOPA Southern Regional Manager Stacey Heaton, joined by a few dedicated members, logged seat time in the six committee hearings to support the bill. AOPA also urged Florida members unable to attend those meetings to contact their lawmakers to support the measures.

While several Florida airports opted not to proceed with landing fee automation, with the notable exception of Kissimmee Gateway Airport in Orlando, and lawmakers acted with speed, Montana earned the distinction of being the first state to limit ADS-B use for fee collection in May 2025. That state-level prohibition covers aircraft up to 9,000 pounds. Florida is among seven states with similar bills under consideration, and AOPA staff have engaged inconversations with lawmakers contemplating similar bills in another eight states (and counting), though state-by-state restrictions are not the ideal solution, given that aircraft can easily cross state lines, and the fundamental problem with using safety technology for revenue collection applies without regard to aircraft weight.

As NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy concurred during recent testimony before a U.S. Senate committee, "ADS-B is a safety tool, and it should be used for safety, not as a revenue generator" that discourages pilots from installing or using ADS-B.

AOPA has twice called on members to voice their support for the Pilot and Aircraft Privacy Act (PAPA), federal legislation that would stop the use of ADS-B data for purposes unrelated to safety. AOPA is working to build support for PAPA, which could ultimately reach the president's desk as a stand-alone bill, or attached to other aviation legislation currently under consideration.

"We appreciate the growing momentum in state capitals, very helpful, but ultimately what we need is a federal law that is applied uniformly across the country," said AOPA Senior Vice President of Government Affairs and Advocacy Jim Coon. "A system that, by the way, works today because individual aircraft owners invested thousands of dollars to equip for it, and they did that on the understanding that new equipment would never be hijacked for use as a toll booth."