Orange County to spend $200K to fight vultures

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. (WOFL FOX 35) - Orange County is expected to spend more than $200,000 to keep pesky birds of prey away from the courthouse. 

It’s been happening for years, but a company was recently hired to install a system that will deter the vultures from landing on the building in downtown Orlando. 

“It’s a great habitat, if you’re a vulture,” sad Dianna Flynt, Audubon Center for Birds of Prey Rehabilitation Supervisor. 

She says the tall building produces air currents the birds can ride, it has lots of ledges where they can perch and it’s a prime location. 

“There’s a lot of highways around and vultures eat dead things and there’s a lot of things that get killed on the road,” Flynt explained. 

For the county, the seasonal visitors have become a headache.   In a memo, officials write that they pick and pull at the sealant, which keeps moisture out of the building. They also bring their food back to the ledges, leaving behind some to decay. 

“They can be a little disgusting. They do a good job of what they’re supposed to do – we just don’t want them around the courthouse,” Flynt said. 

To protect the building, the county says its hired a company to install wires on the building so if the vultures land on it, they won’t be hurt but they’ll get a small zap and hopefully fly away. The total contract award amount for the project is $238,000, according to documents provided by the county. Employees says the money is coming from the Court Facilities Fund. 

A pre-construction planning meet is set for next week. The county says construction is expected to wrap up within 90 days after it begins next month.