St. Cloud Police Launch $890,000 Drone Program as State Ban Forces Shift to Costlier Alternatives

The St. Cloud Police Department has become the first in Central Florida to implement a fully autonomous “Drone as First Responder” (DFR) program, according to AirMed&Rescue. It is a move that highlights the soaring cost of public safety compliance under Florida’s strict new anti-China drone laws.

While the program promises to reduce response times, it comes with a staggering $890,000 price tag over five years, a premium largely driven by the state-mandated shift to domestic manufacturers like Skydio.

To put that cost in perspective: a comparable DFR setup using DJI enterprise drones would cost roughly $150,000 to $250,000 over the same period. Florida agencies are now paying anywhere from 3 to 14 times more for Blue sUAS alternatives that independent testing shows fail more frequently, according to a leaked Department of Interior memo obtained by the Financial Times.

The agency has operated drones for more than a decade, yet officers previously had to carry equipment in their vehicles and manually launch aircraft at the scene, which diverted attention from the incident, losing valuable time that can be used on the active crime.

The new system replaces that process with remote operations that let drones lift off within seconds from autonomous docks placed throughout the community.

Two stations currently house Skydio X10 aircraft, and plans are already in motion to expand that network to four total docks in order to maximize coverage and minimize response times citywide.

Police Chief Douglas Goerke called the program a game changer for St. Cloud, saying that “the real benefit comes from putting eyes on emergencies faster than ever and gathering life saving information before officers or fire rescue teams arrive.”

He noted that smarter, faster, and safer responses ultimately help de-escalate dangerous situations and protect everyone involved.

Real-time intelligence with American-made drones

The Skydio X10 drones used in the program are American-made and compliant with the National Defense Authorization Act. They carry advanced sensors, thermal imaging, safety lights, law enforcement light kits, and parachutes designed to reduce risk during flight.

With support from Federal Aviation Administration approvals for beyond visual line of sight flights, operators inside the Real Time Intelligence Center can virtually pilot the aircraft at roughly 200 feet (61 meters) and up to 40 mph (64 km/h), which provides immediate awareness for in-progress calls.

This constant flow of aerial data lets responders view critical details before they step out of their vehicles, including the number of people at a scene, the size and direction of a fire, or the movement of a fleeing suspect.

Goerke said that “nothing is more challenging than arriving at a chaotic incident and trying to understand everything in a single moment,” and the program solves that problem by delivering key information ahead of time. All flight video is saved as evidence, and residents can view a public dashboard that maps every call supported by the system.

The true cost of compliance

The five-year investment for the drone as first responder program is projected at $890,000, which the department views as a commitment to technology that strengthens public safety operations. But that figure demands scrutiny.

Each Skydio X10 costs between $16,000 and $25,000, compared to the DJI Matrice 30T at roughly $11,500 to $13,500, a workhorse thermal drone now banned for Florida government use. Port Richey paid $25,000 per unit for its Skydio X10 drones just weeks ago, hitting the maximum FDLE grant reimbursement cap.

Beyond hardware, Skydio charges annual software subscription fees of $1,499 to $2,999 per drone for enterprise features that come standard on DJI systems. Over five years with four docks and multiple aircraft, those recurring costs compound dramatically, capabilities that DJI includes at no extra charge.

St. Cloud’s move aligns with broader growth in remotely piloted systems, and it comes as regulators around the world outline new frameworks for long-range drone flights. The United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority recently released a roadmap for beyond visual line of sight operations, signaling that automated and remotely managed systems are becoming more widely accepted because of the time saved during operations.

DroneXL’s Take

Drone as first responder programs continue to grow as agencies discover how much faster drones can deliver clarity than patrol units navigating traffic or uncertain scenes. St. Cloud’s investment shows that fully remote operations are moving into the mainstream of public safety, but at what cost to taxpayers?

The $890,000 price tag is a direct consequence of Florida’s DJI drone ban, which we have called a $200 million disaster built on security claims that remain unproven 18 months after the University of South Florida was supposed to publish its analysis.

Orlando Police testified that they experienced five Blue sUAS failures in just 18 months compared to zero DJI failures in five years of operation. Palm Beach County documented a Skydio battery that caught fire through spontaneous thermal combustion while sitting on a deputy’s vehicle floorboard.

Florida agencies had $200 million worth of functional DJI drones grounded for security threats that nobody can document. The state provided just $25 million in replacement funding. Now departments like St. Cloud are left holding the bag, paying premium prices for equipment that costs dramatically more and has documented reliability concerns.

Senator Tom Wright, who originally sponsored legislation to expand drone use for first responders, became the ban’s most vocal opponent after seeing its consequences: “I hope to hell we don’t have anyone lose a life to this silly rule.”

St. Cloud deserves credit for building a DFR program despite these obstacles. The technology genuinely improves emergency response. But Florida taxpayers should understand they are paying a steep premium, roughly three to four times what this system would cost with DJI equipment, for compliance with a ban built on lobbying rather than evidence.

What do you think about Florida’s drone policy? Is the security premium worth it, or are taxpayers funding a solution to a problem that does not exist? Share your thoughts in the comments below.

Photo credit: St. Cloud Police Department