The Ocala City Council will make a final decision next week on a two-year, $300,000 contract for the Fourth of July drone show after previously tabling the vote to ask the county to commit $75,000 to the event. County officials have since indicated they will only request $20,000, the same financial commitment for this year’s show that was half the cost.
The contract with Sky Elements, LLC, will come before the Ocala City Council for a final vote on Tuesday, December 17.
In October, the council decided to table a vote on the contract after City Manager Pete Lee informed them that the city had put in a request for funding assistance in the amount of $75,000.
In a letter from Marion County Administrator Mounir Bouyounes to Lee earlier this month, Bouyounes indicated that around $20,000 could possibly be approved from the Tourist Development Tax fund, leaving $55,000 “to be funded by the County General Fund.”
“The request [for $75,000] was presented to the Board of County Commissioners (BCC) during the board meeting on Tuesday, December 3, 2024. The consensus from the Board was to only move forward with requesting the $20,000 from the Tourism Development Tax [fund], consistent with the amount provided last year,” reads the letter from Bouyounes.
The $20,000 would still be subject to approval by the Tourist Development Council and, ultimately, would have to come before the BCC again. According to Bouyounes, that would all likely occur during January and February.
The city’s inaugural Patriotic Skies Fourth of July Celebration took place on July 4. During that show, which was attended by an estimated 12,000 people, approximately 300 drones were deployed for around 10 minutes.
Ocala-News.com provided the following exclusive live stream of the drone show, which cost approximately $71,415:
According to city records, the new contract calls for enhancements to the original agreement, including an increase in the number of drones from 300 to 600, and the use of “different drones with extended battery life to ensure a show duration of no less than 15 minutes but not exceeding 18 minutes.”
The new two-year contract would extend the city’s relationship with Sky Elements, LLC through February 8, 2027.
In October, Lee indicated that, although the exact economic impact was “unclear,” an event impact summary from the Ocala/Marion County Visitors & Convention Bureau showed that the event on the local economy generated an economic impact of $180,846.
The economic impact statement indicates that approximately $65,454 was spent on food and beverages, $31,507 on lodging, and nearly $25,000 on retail products and services by visitors during the event.
In the days after the drone show, several readers wrote in to Ocala-News.com to share their opinions about the event. Many of the opinions reflected a desire to see improvements to the show.
Do you think the city should commit to the drone show for the next two years? Share your opinions in a comment or a letter to the editor.
The Ocala City Council regularly meets on the first and third Tuesday of every month at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).
