The St. Louis Board of Aldermen has voted to put new limits on the operation of drones in the city.
The bill, approved unanimously on Friday, now goes to Mayor Tishaura Jones. Her office said in a statement that she looked forward to signing the legislation into law.
Once the bill takes effect, anyone who wants to operate a drone for commercial purposes must have both a city business license and a federal drone pilot license. Flights within 25 feet of a person without their permission, or near large public events and public buildings, are banned.
Drones used by members of the media or emergency personnel are exempt from the restrictions.
The limits are in response to a plan by SMS Novel, a Washington, D.C.-based company, to fly drones for crime-fighting purposes in Gravois Park. The neighborhood is in Alderwoman Alisha Sonnier’s 7th Ward.
The goal was never to prohibit the use of drones for commercial purposes, Sonnier said.
“If you want to participate in being recorded for whatever purpose, that is your right,” she said. “But you have the right for your permission and your consent to be a requirement before that can happen.”
SMS Novel said in a statement that it would sue if Jones signs the measure. Its founder and CEO, Jomo K. Johnson, led several churches in Washington and Philadelphia.
SMS Novel backed out of Gravois Park in January after pushback from neighborhood residents. The city issued a cease-and-desist order to the company; the neighborhood is also in restricted flight space because of its proximity to St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia, Illinois.
Though the federal government sets regulations for airspace, the new rules are an example of agencies working together, Sonnier said.
“One of the things that the FAA says is that local municipalities have the right to do things to protect their residents' expectation of privacy, so long as it doesn’t interfere with what the FAA does,” she said.
SMS Novel eventually flew a drone on at least one occasion in February in the Hamilton Heights neighborhood, according to video posted to its YouTube channel. It was in an effort to advertise DroneStream TV, described in a video by Johnson as a “unique opportunity for both entertainment and security.”
The alderwoman representing the neighborhood, Pam Boyd, did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the company’s use of drones in her 13th Ward.
Johnson said he had trained a team of drone pilots that would be able to offer livestreaming in six different cities on a daily basis. Viewing the footage requires a subscription costing $9.99 per week. He did not return calls or emails asking about the company’s current operations in St. Louis.
More funding for convention center expansion
Also on Friday, aldermen gave initial approval to legislation that sets aside more than $15 million in interest earned on American Rescue Plan Act funds for the America’s Center in downtown.
The facility is undergoing a massive expansion that has been plagued by delays and cost overruns. Kitty Ratcliffe, the president of Explore St. Louis, which operates the center, said that the original $210 million allocated for construction has been used up and that the project needs another $30 million to $40 million to stay on track.
Friday’s vote was 11-4. The legislation still needs one more vote to reach the mayor’s desk.
Alderwoman Cara Spencer, whose 8th Ward includes the center, said the city needs to invest in its downtown to slow its population decline.
But Boyd and 12th Ward Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, who represent large swaths of north St. Louis, said the city has a long history of investing in downtown at the expense of residents – including with ARPA funds.
“I don’t want to save her, because they’re not trying to save north St. Louis,” Boyd said of Ratcliffe.
St. Louis County also sold bonds to help cover the initial $210 million, but it is not clear if officials there are willing to chip in to keep up with cost overruns.
