City officials will likely terminate a $300,000 contract with a company for Fourth of July drone shows next week because of an ongoing investigation into one of the company’s drones falling during a show in Orlando and critically injuring a child.
On Tuesday, the Ocala City Council will vote on a measure to terminate the city’s agreement with the company for drone shows for this and next year’s Patriotic Skies events.
The events are scheduled to take place on July 4, 2025 and July 4, 2026.
At the council’s last meeting, City Manager Pete Lee briefly touched on the issue, saying the city had not yet rendered any type of payment to Sky Elements.
The company is currently under investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
That investigation came about after drones that were being operated by Sky Elements, LLC, fell from the sky and crashed to the ground during a show around Lake Eola in downtown Orlando on December 21, 2024.
One of those drones struck a 7-year-old child, who was critically injured as a result.
In the aftermath, the FAA stripped Sky Elements’ of its Part 107 Waiver, which partially allowed the company to operate drones higher than 400 feet above ground level (when not within a 400-foot radius of a structure).
Although the FAA confirmed that Sky Elements has sought to have its waiver reinstated, a memo from the city of Ocala suggests there is no timeline as to when a potential reinstatement could occur.
During a meeting with city staff, representatives from Sky Elements attempted to address several concerns posed by the city, including what led to the incident in Orlando.
Although the company presented a series of changes it is making, like the incorporation of more redundancies, the addition of personnel, and a reversion to paper, it was “unable to discuss causation” of the incident in Orlando because of the pending investigations and litigation.
The drone that fell from the sky and injured the child was confiscated by the Orlando Police Department and given to the NTSB for further inspection, according to the company. Since then, Sky Elements says it has not been able to conduct its own investigation into the incident.
Although the company indicated it has “no issues” with the city waiting to render payment under the contract until after the Part 107 Waiver has been reinstated, city officials say the time involved to plan the event makes that possibility untenable.
“Patriotic Skies requires months of preparation by city staff. Given the facts currently available, the city cannot make the required preparations for the event as it is unable to determine if Sky Elements will be able to perform its obligations under the Agreement,” reads a memo prepared by city staff. “Thus, staff recommends terminating for convenience.”
In December, Ocala City Council members voted 4-1 to approve the contract with Sky Elements.
At the time, Mayor Ben Marciano, who has been a proponent for fireworks in virtually every public discussion since the Patriotic Skies event in July, said he had spoken with members of the community who wanted fireworks over drones.
One of those individuals, a local business owner, had quoted the cost of fireworks at around $30,000.
That same Ocala business owner, who is heavily involved in the industry, decried the idea that fireworks were dangerous in a letter to our publication.
In October, when the vote on the contract with Sky Elements was delayed to seek additional funding from the county that never came, Ocala City Council president Kristen Dreyer emphasized that staff originally turned to drones because they were asked to find a safer alternative to fireworks.
Dreyer, who was council president pro-tem at the time, pointed out that county’s funding was never part of the original directive and suggested that the alleged opposition to the drones was just the opinions of “the 100 people on Ocala-News.com.”
Ocala-News.com was the only news source to livestream the Patriotic Skies drone show on July 4, 2024. Watch that stream here:
During and immediately after that stream, and in the months since that event, our website has received over two dozen letters and over 1,000 comments from residents expressing their opinions on the matter. We published a portion of those letters:
- Ocala businessman decries idea that fireworks at Tuscawilla pose hazard
- Ocala residents share opinions on drones versus fireworks
- Fireworks celebrate our independence and are less expensive than drones
- I prefer drones or noiseless fireworks
- There are far better ways to spend $300,000 than on drones
- Parking, traffic, and an underwhelming drone show: Ocalan suggests changes to improve next year’s event
- We missed the ‘bombs bursting in air’ at Ocala’s drone show
How do you think the city should proceed? Should it schedule another drone show or should it find a site to offer fireworks? Share your opinions in a comment or a letter to the editor.
The Ocala City Council next meets on Tuesday, January 21, at 4 p.m. at Ocala City Hall (110 SE Watula Avenue).