The Destin City Council gave final approval on Monday night to pair the city’s traditional fireworks display with a 200-drone light show from Destin-based Cosmic Drone Light Shows. Councilman Kevin Schmidt made the motion, and Councilwoman Teresa Hebert seconded.
- The show will begin at 9 p.m. with one or two fireworks blasts, followed by a 12-minute drone show, then a 22-minute fireworks display. Local radio station Z96 will provide additional music to accompany the firework soundtrack.
City Manager Larry Jones described the planned sequence as “the fireworks shooting off a couple of blasts just to get the attention and let folks know this party’s getting started,” followed by the drone show spending its 12 minutes before transitioning back to fireworks for the main show.
Jones said the drones will be launched from the west end of the Norriego Point Recreation Area, using approximately the westernmost 1,000 feet of the area. The west end of Norriego Point will be closed off for the show, with a 150-foot buffer outside the flight zone. Jones said one dune walkover will remain accessible.
Jones said staff met at 5 p.m. Monday with Capt. Jason Fulghum from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office to begin developing a plan for managing traffic and parking around the area on the Fourth.
- “We know that automobiles are going to be a big issue that night,” Jones said.
The city’s cost for the drone show is $10,000, with funds coming from unspent Christmas special event contracted services. Finance Director Krystal Strickland confirmed the expenditure requires no budget amendment. Jones said staff also plans to visit potential contributors and solicit donations toward the show.
“Any contribution to the show would be appreciated,” Jones said.
Councilwoman Sandy Trammell, speaking on behalf of the Destin Parks Foundation, was on hand to address any fundraising efforts by the foundation.
The drone show is being produced by Alex Ou, owner of Cosmic Drone Light Shows and a Destin resident. The show will feature patriotic animations and custom sky imagery including the American flag, bald eagle, Statue of Liberty, military tributes and “AMERICA 250” branding. Ou was unable to attend Monday’s meeting due to a scheduling conflict.
The fireworks will be handled by Pyro Shows Inc. under a $39,100 contract extension approved by council on June 1. The city is also paying approximately $9,000 for an incidental take permit required by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to protect state-listed shorebird species near the launch site on the West Jetty on Eglin Air Force Base property.
The permit question had been raised at the June 1 meeting by Councilman Dewey Destin, who questioned why the city was paying for a permit tied to federal property rather than directing those funds toward monitoring Norriego Point. The agenda item noted that compliance with state permitting is incorporated into Eglin’s Integrated Natural Resources Management Plan.
Monday’s unanimous vote followed a debate that spanned three council meetings. On May 18, council voted 4-3 to pursue a drone show in lieu of fireworks, citing shorebird protections. On June 1, council reversed that direction, unanimously approving the fireworks contract and voting 6-1 to explore adding a drone show.
