The County Commission Tuesday authorized the purchase of two new helicopters for use by Brevard County Mosquito Control at a cost of $4.6 million, in a 4-1 vote.
County Manager Howard Tipton said buying the two helicopters to replace the three now in the mosquito control fleet actually will save the county $587,000 a year by reducing maintenance, fuel and other costs related to the current fleet that is 44, 22 and 12 years old. The two older helicopters are so inefficient that they are grounded 58 percent of the time, Tipton said, forcing the county to increase the use of contracted services for mosquito spraying.
Tipton said proceeds from the sale of the three helicopters will pay for the cost to outfit the new helicopters with avionics and spray equipment. County Commission Chairman Chuck Nelson said he wanted to OK the plan as soon as possible, so county officials can order the helicopters in time for delivery by the start of peak mosquito season in June.
“You can’t just run down to Mike Erdman, and buy a helicopter,” Nelson said, referring to the auto dealer.
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