Amazon Launches Drone Delivery Service in Ruskin, First Florida Location

Amazon started Prime Air drone deliveries at a Ruskin fulfillment center. This marks Florida's first spot with the program, kicking off March 9.

Prime customers living within eight miles of the Ruskin site can get certain orders delivered by drone. When checking out, shoppers see "Prime Air" pop up if their address qualifies.

After picking that option, customers choose a pre-approved spot on their property. The drone needs a safe place to drop packages. Josh Brundage works on Prime Air's commercial operations team and described what can fly.

"About the size of a large shoebox is our size limit, and under five pounds," Brundage said, according to FOX13 News. "It can also be multiple items that fit into that same profile."

Over-the-counter medicines, baby food, cleaning supplies, phone chargers, AirTags, and other small household goods work for drone trips. Cameras and sensors load up each drone to watch weather patterns, air traffic, and what's moving near the drop zone — even pets hanging out in yards.

If there are bad conditions or obstacle blocking the path, the drone won't finish its run. Arizona got Prime Air first back in 2024 near Phoenix, making Florida the second state.

More than 100,000 area customers might use this service, and new jobs should sprout up to keep things running. Mitchel Allen with the Tampa Bay Economic Development Council talked about what this could mean.

"People are looking for jobs, amenities, and a great place to live," said Allen. "It's really important that as we grow as a community, we continue to identify unique opportunities."