A group of business owners and lawmakers met at Pasco Community State College Thursday to talk about ways to bring drones to the Sunshine State.

"We see it as a big game changer," said John Hagen with the Pasco County Economic Development Council. "We want to be a part of that."

Plenty of businesses want a piece of the untapped market. But it's difficult to tap into in the United States, considering it's illegal to profit off the video and data the drones collect.

There are already small businesses throughout the Bay area flying drones internationally. 

Ed Franco with Turin Aviation Group already has a bustling business. His drones are flying in Africa to help stop poaching. He also has contracts with wineries in Italy to survey the land.

He says the Bay area stands to benefit from the unmanned aerial vehicles.

"We can do agriculture and help farmers do citrus with their citrus crop," said Franco. "We can do urban planning to help real estate companies and people building developments to survey their property and construct based on our survey."

But without new laws in the books to allow Franco and other companies to get paid in the U.S., their domestic business will likely stall.

The FAA cites airspace and safety issues for keeping the drones on the ground. And privacy advocates worry about what the cameras attached to the drones could capture.

But there's a growing group of drone enthusiasts and business owners who are ready to take the fight to the state capitol.