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Pasco commissioners authorize up to $7.5 million to buy two surplus helicopters for public safety
Summary
The board approved an amendment to the sheriff’s budget to buy two aircraft from Volusia County, with funds to come from available sources and salvage proceeds to offset cost; sheriff’s office plans to retire older airframes.
The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners voted on April 9 to authorize up to $7.5 million to purchase two surplus helicopters from Volusia County for use by the Pasco Sheriff’s Office and emergency services.
Commissioner Yeager moved the budget amendment to buy the aircraft; the motion was seconded and approved by the board. The board instructed county staff to identify appropriate funding sources (most likely general fund reserves) and to return details about offsets from salvage sales of the sheriff’s older aircraft.
Chase Daniels, Pasco Sheriff’s Office, described the purchase as a recapitalization of the county air fleet. He told commissioners the county currently operates four OH-58 airframes (Vietnam-era); two are flown and two are used for parts. The Volusia airframes being offered are fully equipped, capable of Bambi-bucket wildfire suppression and modern emergency operations, and will allow Pasco to retire the older OH-58s and phase out Huey helicopters over time.
“Those two aircraft are fully equipped,” Daniels said, explaining the sheriff’s office anticipates negotiating the purchase price down from an upper estimate and expects the final cost could be below $7.5 million. The board agreed the county would attempt to recover costs by selling or salvaging older airframes and by returning salvage proceeds to the funding source used for the acquisition.
Why it matters: County officials said newer, fully equipped helicopters will support medical transport, search-and-rescue, firefighting and storm response. Commissioners emphasized the time sensitivity of the offer from Volusia County and the safety risk of continued operation of aging airframes; the sheriff’s office reported three emergency landings in the previous six months.
Implementation and oversight: The board approved the amendment with the expectation that the sheriff will manage negotiations, pursue salvage sales of retired aircraft to offset purchase costs, and provide transparent accounting for funding and salvage receipts. The board also directed staff to identify appropriate funding sources and to return with transaction details when the sale is finalized.
Ending: Commissioners praised the public-safety benefit and approved the budget amendment by voice vote; staff will finalize funding details and return when the purchase price and offsets are confirmed.
