A First Amendment Audit at Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA)

Introduction: Testing Public Photography Rights at PBIA

Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA), located just west of downtown West Palm Beach, is one of Florida’s busiest airports, serving over 6 million passengers annually. Given its status as a major travel hub, PBIA is home to dozens of airlines, government agencies, and private businesses, making it an interesting location for a First Amendment audit.

As a journalist and public photographer, I went to PBIA to test how airport staff, law enforcement, and the general public react to filming in public spaces. Would they respect my right to record, or would someone try to shut it down?

As it turns out, a JetBlue supervisor named Zane Hill wanted to be a “big shot” but ended up becoming “internet famous” for all the wrong reasons.

PBIA: A Closer Look at the Airport’s Public Areas

Palm Beach International Airport is owned and operated by Palm Beach County and serves as a public facility. While certain areas of the airport—like TSA security checkpoints and restricted terminals—are subject to federal regulations, public areas such as sidewalks, parking garages, and baggage claim areas are fair game for photography.

This legal distinction is critical because it means that airport employees and private airline staff cannot simply “ban” filming in these spaces. Many people, including some airport workers, are unaware of this fact, leading to unnecessary confrontations with public photographers.

The Audit Begins: A Routine Filming Turns Controversial

When I arrived at PBIA, I started my audit by recording general public areas, including the drop-off zones, baggage claim, and check-in counters. For the most part, things were uneventful—passengers and staff were going about their business without issue.

That is, until I encountered JetBlue supervisor Zane Hill.

Hill took immediate issue with my presence, questioning why I was filming and insisting that I stop. When I refused—citing my First Amendment right to record in public—he escalated the situation by calling WHINE-ONE-ONE in hopes that the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office (PBSO) would intervene on his behalf and violate my rights.

In this latest First Amendment audit, I took to the streets of Boynton Beach, Florida, to film outside three major banks: Bank of America, Wells Fargo, and Chase Bank. What started as a routine public photography audit quickly turned into a series of unexpected interactions, including a Karen meltdown, a heated confrontation, and police being called.

Filming at Bank of America – “You Can’t Record Here!”

I began the day outside Bank of America at Canyon Town Center, filming the bank’s exterior. Due to heavy glare on the windows, visibility inside was minimal. That didn’t stop a Bank of America employee from coming outside and questioning what I was doing. She insisted that I couldn’t film the bank’s windows because customer information might be visible. I reminded her that if the bank was worried about privacy, they should turn off monitors, use blinds, or install privacy screens. She walked back inside but returned moments later, asking if I would be comfortable if someone filmed while my personal banking information was on a screen. When I pointed out that the bank already had privacy screens, she had no choice but to retreat inside, shutting the door behind her.

A few minutes later, a Bank of America customer exiting the bank noticed me filming and immediately became hostile. She asked if I was recording, and when I confirmed, she demanded that I stop. While on a FaceTime call, she loudly told the person on the other end, “Some white man is recording me.” I asked her what race had to do with anything, but she ignored my question and repeatedly insisted that I stop filming. When I continued my audit, she stormed back inside, presumably to complain. Moments later, she reemerged, called me a “piece of sh*t,” flipped me off, and drove away as I laughed and kept filming.

Wells Fargo & Flagstar Bank – Customer Reactions to Zelle Fraud & DEI

Next, I crossed the street to Wells Fargo, hoping to spark a discussion with customers about Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Zelle fraud lawsuits. Just like Bank of America, the glare on the windows made it impossible to see inside, and there was no significant activity outside. So, I walked across the parking lot to Flagstar Bank, where I encountered a passerby and asked for his opinion on banks stepping away from DEI programs. He said it was the right move. I then asked if he thought banks were doing enough to protect consumers from Zelle fraud, and he said he believed they were. He then got into a car that had just pulled up to pick him up.

After that brief interaction, I returned to Wells Fargo to film the drive-thru. With nothing interesting happening, I left and made a quick stop at the Palm Beach County Library – Canyon Branch. I noticed the support columns wrapped in excerpts from literary works and admired the modern light fixtures inside. A Palm Beach County deputy sheriff was stationed at the entrance but didn’t interfere. In fact, when I went inside, he offered to take my picture. I declined, but in hindsight, it could have been interesting to let him film me instead. As I continued filming, I saw that all the staff desks had beautiful orchids, and when I asked about them, a friendly staff member told me they were real and brought in by a coworker. With nothing else going on and the deputy now recording me, I decided to wrap it up and leave.

Chase Bank – Police Called & A Dog-Walker’s Meltdown

The final stop of the day was Chase Bank. After some time, a Chase employee came outside and asked why I was filming. He said that customers inside were asking about me, and I told him to simply inform them that it was Good Citizen News Network. He then turned and walked back inside. Later, I discovered that someone from the bank had called the police.

While waiting, I interviewed customers outside. I asked one man if he felt comfortable using Zelle, given that Chase is being sued for failing to protect customers from fraud. He told me he does not use Zelle. Another woman, on her way inside, had no opinion on DEI and also had no concerns about the Zelle fraud lawsuit.

A few minutes later, a Palm Beach County sheriff’s deputy arrived and walked inside the bank. Thanks to public records requests, I was able to obtain Officer Daniele Carbone’s body-worn camera footage, which reveals what was discussed inside.

Inside the bank, the officer and bank staff acknowledged that filming in public is legal but debated whether they could classify my presence as loitering. They considered whether the shopping plaza had a legal agreement allowing law enforcement to manage trespassing issues without a direct complaint from the business. However, they never found a reason to remove me. The officer also noted that there is no expectation of privacy in public, contradicting the bank’s earlier claims.

Their primary concern appeared to be security-related rather than legal. Since I was focusing on filming the bank, they discussed whether it posed a potential security issue, even though no laws were broken. Eventually, the officer left without approaching me, reinforcing that they had no legal grounds to intervene.

As I waited for the officer to come back outside, a man with a dog approached me aggressively, demanding that I stop filming him. I pointed out that if he didn’t want to be filmed, he shouldn’t be approaching someone with a camera. He got more agitated and claimed I was recording him while his dog was peeing and pooping. He then called me a “fing ahole” and told me to get the f out of his face.** I sarcastically referred to him as an upset Karen picking up dog poop, and he then threatened to throw it at me. I dared him to do it, but instead, he just stormed off, hurling more insults.

Meanwhile, the deputy finished inside and sat in his patrol truck while I continued filming. With the skies darkening, I wrapped up my audit and shot my outro. Interestingly, as soon as I left, the deputy also left immediately.

On my way home, I called PBSO non-emergency to confirm whether a service call had been made. They verified that Chase Bank called the police, provided me with the incident number, and confirmed that the responding officer was Deputy Daniele Carbone. I’ve already obtained the body-worn camera footage through a public records request and reviewed the interaction inside the bank.

Final Thoughts

This Boynton Beach Bank Audit had everything: bank employees trying to dictate public photography, a full-blown Karen meltdown, a heated confrontation with a dog-walker, and police being called. The biggest takeaway? Banks still don’t understand public photography laws, and some people really don’t like being filmed—even in public.

What do you think? Are banks doing enough to protect customers from fraud? Should they be backing away from DEI programs? And what are your thoughts on public filming rights? Let me know in the comments below!

If you enjoyed this audit, be sure to support GCNN by buying me an iced coffee at buymeacoffee.com/gcnn!

Shoutout to our sponsor, Raw Naked Bean! Get free shipping with code GCNN at checkout. Grab yours at rawnakedbean.com/gcnn!

Subscribe to Good Citizen News Network for more First Amendment audits, and stay informed on your rights!