By-Line: Julie Murphy, Flagler County Government
Flagler County was notified on Monday that it is the recipient of an Annual Regional Awards for Excellence from the Northeast Florida Regional Council (NEFRC). The honor was awarded for “Public Safety” because the county was presented with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Certificate of Waiver for Drones Beyond the Line of Sight (BLOS).
“There continues to be engaging and transformational work happening across Northeast Florida. It is an
honor to celebrate those projects and initiatives that enhance local communities in the region,” said Chief Executive Officer Beth Payne in a news release issued by NEFRC. “We look forward to celebrating these accomplishments at the Awards Ceremony on January 9.”
Flagler may well be the first county government in the United States with a Certificate of Waiver that covers: operations beyond the visual line of sight of the remote pilot in command; operations in which a participating Visual Observer (VO) is not able to see the unmanned aircraft; operations over human beings; and, operations over a moving vehicle.
The UAS (drone) Program Division is significant in Flagler County and is used for various essential support tasks: emergency response, infrastructure inspections, and public safety operations. Improving the efficiency and safety of the program helps reduce costs and enhances service delivery across the county.
In total, the newest drone costs $275,000 including the drone itself, training, the LiDAR payload (remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure variable distances to earth), and thermal payload (essential for spotting heat signatures not visible by the naked eye). By contrast, Flagler County in the past paid for coastal LiDAR scans – per flight – to the tune of $33,000 for an engineering consultant to fly manned aircraft and between $22,000 and $72,000 to contract with a drone consultant to collect this same data.
All it takes is one or two storms for Flagler County to receive its return on investment. Additionally, the county can swap the aircraft payload to focus on wildfire mitigation or search and rescue missions, including assistance for other agencies within the region.
“Receiving an award like this serves as a testament to the efforts made to shape a vibrant and interconnected community, where collaboration is not just a concept but a way of life,” Petito said. “Together, we celebrate the power of working hand-in-hand to build a resilient and thriving Northeast Florida.”
The Northeast Florida Regional Council is an independent, regional government agency serving Baker, Clay, Duval, Flagler, Putnam, Nassau, and St. Johns counties. It provides a regional perspective on economic development, emergency preparedness, resiliency, and community development to enhance the quality of life of Northeast Florida residents.
