Flagler County

Whether it’s the scenic views or the incredible community spirit, Flagler County has so much to offer. Let’s hear what makes your workday special! #FlaglerFIRST #FlaglerCounty #PalmCoast #FlaglerBeach #Bunnell #Marineland #BeverlyBeach

🌟 Employee Spotlight: Bruno Luna 🌟 At Flagler County, we’re proud to spotlight Bruno Luna, our dedicated UAS Program Coordinator. With nearly 3 years of service, Bruno oversees the administration of our Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) program, handling everything from developing standard operating procedures to ensuring the safe integration of new drones into our fleet. As the county’s sole full-time pilot, Bruno plays a crucial role in enhancing our data collection capabilities and ensuring staff safety. 🚀 Innovative Leadership: Bruno’s work is at the forefront of technology and efficiency. His visionary approach is reflected in the recent acquisition of our first Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) capable UAS. This milestone, supported by our IT CIO Matthew Rivera, represents a major leap in our capabilities, enabling us to conduct extensive long-range operations and detailed lidar scans of our coastline, all while enhancing safety and operational efficiency. ❤️ Mentorship: Bruno credits much of his success to his wife, Brittney. Her honest feedback and unwavering support have been instrumental in guiding his career. 🌴 Outside the Office: When he’s not piloting drones, Bruno enjoys spending time with his family at the beach, hunting for shark teeth, and building drones. His adventurous spirit is also evident in his favorite vacation spot, Fernandina Beach, FL, and his impressive cross-country motorcycle journey on a Harley Sportster. 🦉 Words of Wisdom: His personal motto, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail” (Ralph Waldo Emerson), reflects his innovative approach to his work and life. 🌟 A Few of his Favorite Things: 📖 Hatchet 🎥 Home Alone 2 🍕 Pizza We’re grateful for Bruno’s commitment and look forward to seeing where his trailblazing efforts take Flagler County next! What do you have in common with Bruno? Let us know in the comments 👇👇👇 Or ... simply give him a shoutout because he rocks! 🎸 #EmployeeSpotlight #UAS #FlaglerFIRST #FlaglerCounty

Happy Friday! It's time for a round of Dunes and Don'ts: Flagler Beach edition. 🏖️ All it takes is 60 seconds to check your #FlaglerFacts knowledge, or quiz a friend. Ongoing #BetteringOurBeach efforts depend on community support for success and sustainability. Thank you to all joining Flagler County in considering the impact of our shared coastal footprint, from safeguarding threatened/endangered species to the literal steps we take 👣🌾🌊

Registration is now open for Fall 2024 Citizens' Academy! Over the course of six weeks, learn about all departments of #FlaglerCounty government and how each serves the community, ending with a roundtable with the County Commissioners and graduation 🎉📆 For more information and to sign up, visit flaglercounty.gov/academy

The next Flagler In Focus episode is here 🎉 Here's how you can tune in to Episode 3, Library Innovations and the new Nexus Center! Featuring special guest Holly Albanese and hosted by Karen Callahan, M.A. ❤️iHeart Radio - https://loom.ly/yXaL6_o ✴️SoundCloud - https://loom.ly/B5YqoXY ❇️Spotify - https://loom.ly/OR5Xb8Q 🅿️Pandora - https://loom.ly/9lHnAgk 🎶Amazon Music - https://loom.ly/Pq82ksY 🎧Audible - https://loom.ly/wNShu50 📹Youtube - https://loom.ly/IMRzCPI 🌐 flaglercounty.gov/PODCAST This podcast is now available on multiple streaming platforms. Each month, listeners can anticipate insightful discussions with local experts, community leaders, and others with stories to tell about all things Flagler. #FlaglerInFocus #FlaglerFirst

Flagler County Emergency Management Director Jonathan Lord on Thursday (August 15) graduated from the FEMA Emergency Management Institute’s National Emergency Management Executive Academy. The program hones strategic leadership thinking for senior leaders involved with multi-jurisdictional, national, international, public health, private industry, and institutes of higher education homeland security and emergency management policy development responsibilities. “It was a great honor to be selected to participate in this academy with a diverse group of senior emergency management leaders,” Lord said. “It was a very collaborative learning experience. We had an incredibly accomplished cohort, and we were able to leverage that collective wealth of knowledge to bolster the doctrine, policy, and practice that shapes the future of our profession.” (Full press release: https://loom.ly/JuaRuSA) #FlaglerFirst

The Flagler County Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS or drone) Program has joined forces with TruWeather Solutions to increase its low-altitude sensing capability. “The real-time weather data we get from TruWeather has had a huge impact on our operations, especially as we start flying Beyond the Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS),” said UAS Program Coordinator Bruno Luna. “There’s a lot to consider when operating BVLOS, so having a platform that has all the pertinent data on one screen is a huge time saver.” Continuous innovation and adaptation are crucial to overcoming adverse weather-related obstacles – heavy rains, high winds, extreme temperatures, fog (or smoke), and mist – to ensure that #FlaglerCounty drones can operate safely and effectively in less-than-ideal conditions. “Winds and reduced visibility can complicate overwatch and monitoring missions, as both factors can impair the data quality and instrument performance of the onboard sensors, such as the optical cameras and thermal imager,” said Meteorologist James Luehrs, TruWeather Solutions. “The complexity of weather impacts is further heightened when missions take place beyond the visual line of sight.” The ongoing improvements and innovations in drone technology and weather infrastructure will continue to enhance Flagler County’s UAS capabilities, making it a model for modern emergency response strategies. “Our drone team must deal with coastal weather – and areas further inland – with dense vegetation and fog that affect visibility during flights,” Luna said. “This can be challenging during normal operations and cause delays. Finding the right weather forecasting tools can make a big difference for overall safety, especially as we start to fly BVLOS missions around the county.” ✈️ Read full press release here: https://loom.ly/qj1SaN0 #FlaglerFirst

Flagler County received long-awaited word from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Tuesday (August 6) that it was awarded a “Certificate of Waiver” – effective through July 2028 – for its “small, unmanned aircraft system,” or drone, operations that afford the county the ability to fly long-range monitoring missions of the coastline and other public safety monitoring missions. “This will be huge for Flagler County, as it will allow us to really maximize the use of the new fixed wing drone for any other public safety or environmental monitoring missions we need to accomplish,” said UAS Program Coordinator Bruno Luna. “We had multiple flights planned for today (August 7) to do some post storm (Hurricane Debby) assessments, but with the new waiver granted it will only take one flight.” The UAS (drone) Program Division is significant in #FlaglerCounty and is used for a variety of essential support tasks: emergency response, infrastructure inspections, and public safety operations. Improving the efficiency and safety of the program helps reduce costs and enhances service delivery across the county. 🛫 Full press release: https://loom.ly/gptUZzw

It proved a beautiful morning to break ground for the Nexus Center, a multi-purpose facility that will house both a new library and the county’s Health and Human Services Department, in Bunnell. Elected officials, project contractors, community members, and county staff gathered to celebrate this notable achievement, spearheaded by Library Director and Assistant County Administrator Holly Albanese. Through some nine years, seven grant iterations, and the tremendous support of the Library Board of Trustees and Friends of the Library, #FlaglerCounty is moving forward with the Nexus Center and the vital services it will provide. Thank you to all who made this day possible! #FlaglerFirst

It's #NationalBookLoversDay! 📚💛 The Flagler County Library system includes over 140,000 books (as well as audio books, magazines, and newspapers.) In addition, the community benefits from numerous library services like passport application and processing, voter registration, genealogy assistance, and far beyond! Find them all at https://loom.ly/bDkO7Kg #FlaglerFirst