A drone-free zone

Consider it the FBI’s version of air-traffic control. The FBI has a drone problem, which means that, as the Super Bowl approaches on Sunday, the rest of us have a drone problem, too.

Miami FBI Special Agent In Charge George Piro said too many people are flying those alien-looking flying cameras, ignoring the clearly defined restricted air space over Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens where the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers will play on Sunday.

“So far this week the FBI drone mitigation teams have detected 54 unauthorized drones in restricted airspace. If you are a drone operator, make sure you comply with the restrictions,” Piro told the media and the public.

That is a fair warning by the feds. Law enforcement agencies should arrest and make public examples of any drone operators still breaking the law and, in effect, threatening our collective sense of security leading up to and during one of the nation’s biggest annual sporting events.

And for what? To show that you’re a rebel and can post an illegal overhead shot of the Super Bowl in your Insta? Please. The Federal Aviation Administration has imposed a “No Drone Zone” as part of temporary flight restrictions for this year’s Super Bowl. The zone extends for a 30-mile radius from and 18,000 feet above Hard Rock Stadium.

Drones have become even more popular since last year’s Super Bowl in Atlanta, where six of them flying too close to the stadium were reportedly confiscated in the days before the game.

Authorities say that drone attacks have emerged as potentially greater threats than a foreign terrorist attack.

That’s why it’s so egregious for any drone operator in South Florida to play with our national security—and this community’s time to shine in the national spotlight.

Throw the book at renegade operators. Keep them—and their drones— grounded.