As the fight to preserve and protect Florida’s coastal waters marches forward, a research and engineering company has opened a new ocean mapping headquarters right here in St. Pete. Saildrone had the official ribbon cutting of its new Ocean Mapping Headquarters and Operations Center in St. Pete’s Innovation District this month, and the company is thrilled about what it can do from the new Gulf Coast facility.

The new location will be a permanent deployment site for ocean mapping, ocean data, and maritime security missions, significantly expanding Saildrone’s presence in the US Southeast. Based out of California, Saildrone creates unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) with its patented wing technology and uses them to further its vision for a healthy ocean and a safe, sustainable planet.

Saildrones are wind and solar-powered autonomous surface vehicles which make cost-effective ocean data collection possible at scale. The company collects critical marine data, delivered in real-time, from any ocean at any time of year as they build the world’s largest high-resolution ocean data sets and work with governments and private companies around the globe.

Saildrone sees tremendous opportunity for impact in Florida

Brian Connon, the VP of Ocean Mapping at Saildrone, noted the tremendous role that Florida’s waters – its blue economy – play in the financial health of the state.

“According to the Florida Ocean Alliance, Florida’s Blue Economy in coastal counties generated more than $797 billion of economic value, or 77% of the state’s more than $1 trillion economy, in a single year,” Connon said. “It is essential that this region is well understood and protected.”

Saildrone also plans to deploy maritime security missions from the Hub, helping authorities tackle challenging issues on the water like illegal fishing, which costs the global economy billions each year, and the trafficking of drugs in the Gulf of Mexico.

The ability to support local initiatives such as the Florida Coastal Mapping program, to provide real-time and actionable data on Florida’s beautiful Gulf Coast, and to contribute to the health of the state’s present and future, are why Saildrone sees this new headquarters as being so vital.

“New high-resolution maps of the seabed are essential to help Florida protect communities, grow its blue economy, and facilitate sustainable aquaculture and alternative energy,” said Saildrone Founder and CEO Richard Jenkins. “Uncrewed systems can do far more, at far lower costs than traditional approaches, so we are excited to play a role in bringing a brighter future to Florida.”