Board approves $2,500 ISG drone survey for drainage districts 10 and 22

The Osceola County Board of Supervisors voted to fund a preliminary drone survey of Drainage Districts 10 and 22 to identify erosion, washouts and other repair needs.

The county engineer presented two vendor quotes: ISG offered drone mapping of both districts for $2,500, while a local contractor quoted $3,500. The engineer said a full LIDAR/topographic survey would be a far more expensive option, roughly $25,000. "They came back at $2,500 to do it," the engineer said of ISG; another participant noted a local contractor's $3,500 price. An elected supervisor recommended ISG as "$1,000 cheaper," and the board moved to accept the ISG proposal.

Board members clarified that the drone cost would be borne by the drainage districts and that the drone would produce pin drops and locations where repair work is needed so the board and engineer can scope repairs before equipment arrives. The engineer cautioned that the engineer's on-site authorization threshold is roughly $50,000; if repairs exceed that threshold the board would need to reauthorize additional expenditures. The motion passed by voice vote after a motion from Helmer with support from Schulte.

The board discussed an in-house drone option and lower-cost local hourly rates but decided that hiring ISG for a $2,500 single-job mapping of both districts was the most practical first step.

Next steps include receiving the ISG mapping output, reviewing identified repair locations, and returning to the board if projected repairs exceed the engineer's spending threshold.