MANATEE COUNTY, Fla. — With the 2025 hurricane season on the horizon, many organizations are looking for ways to help their community prepare.

In Lakewood Ranch, the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) is launching a new program that will take helping its residents to new heights.

David Esslinger flies drones as part of the new CERT team aimed at helping recovery efforts in the immediate aftermath of a hurricane.

The Lakewood Ranch Community Emergency Response Team is calling it, The Drone Program.

“I think having a drone would really help us get up in the air, cover a good area," Esslinger said."And then we could tell people where to go check out."

The goal is to deploy drones after a storm impacts the Lakewood Ranch area. The flights would reveal which houses received the most damage and determine if any residents need help.

Flying isn’t a new skill for Esslinger.

“I like flying things a lot," he said. "I started as a kid with model rockets and remote-controlled planes."

That passion turned into a desire to help and motivated him to join the Air Force in 1980 when he was 19.

“So I was in the Air Force back when the F-16 was a new plane," he said. "I was a weapons systems specialist, maintaining the weapons. I got really attracted to fast flight, loud airplanes, and weapons systems. So, I did my tour for four years."

Now, Esslinger is continuing to help in his own community.

“So if we had the drone in the air, ideally we’d be able to identify an area and send people out once we figure out where the problem is,” he said.

Usually, the CERT team knocks on doors, but drones will allow them to reach targeted areas more efficiently. The technology would have been useful during last year's storms when the Summerfield community was difficult to access. 

“I think the drone will help us do that a lot faster,” he said.

The Drone Program is set to activate when hurricane season begins.