Is Volusia County your primary service area?

Yes. Strilla Communications Company is based at 2174 Jungle Rd in New Smyrna Beach, inside Volusia County, and Volusia is the primary service area. Central Florida is secondary and we have statewide Florida capability. Being based here means mobilization to any of the county's sixteen cities is a drive rather than a travel arrangement, and crews can be redirected during the day when a schedule changes.

What makes directional drilling on the Volusia coast different?

Fine marine sand cuts quickly, so the challenge is hole stability rather than penetration. With the water table often within a few feet of grade, and effectively at grade near the lagoon, the drilling fluid program and annular pressure control decide whether the bore holds its shape. Fluid containment also matters more near the Halifax and Indian River shorelines, where a loss of returns carries environmental consequences.

Which permits are typically required for fiber construction in Volusia County?

Every bore or excavation starts with a Sunshine 811 locate ticket. State roads such as I-95, US 1, SR 44, SR 40 and SR A1A require an FDOT utility permit, county maintained roads require a Volusia County permit, and each of the sixteen municipalities issues its own. Lane closures require a maintenance of traffic plan, and work near wetlands or water bodies may require environmental resource permitting.

Do you handle both aerial and underground scope?

Yes. We run owned equipment and our own crews for horizontal directional drilling, conduit installation and vault placement, and for aerial cable construction, strand and lash and make-ready support. Volusia routes frequently need both inside the same mile, so keeping the two capabilities under one contractor removes a handoff, a second mobilization and a common source of schedule slip.

How do you handle karst and sinkhole risk in west Volusia?

Toward Orange City, DeLand and the western part of the county, limestone sits closer to the surface and voids are possible. The practical response is to treat sudden loss of returns or unexplained fluid behavior as a geological signal, stop and evaluate rather than push through. Vault and handhole siting also accounts for that risk instead of being placed purely for constructability.

Can you support emergency restoration after a storm?

Emergency service restoration is part of what we do, and being based in New Smyrna Beach means crews are already inside the affected area rather than travelling in behind closures. Coastal Volusia is exposed to wind, surge and erosion, while the west side of the county is exposed to St Johns River flooding. Call (386) 396-2033 to discuss restoration coverage before the season, not during it.

Does FDOT District 5 permit work on state roads in Volusia County?

Yes. FDOT District 5, headquartered in DeLand, reviews utility work in the right of way of every state road in Volusia, including I-95, I-4, US 1, US 92, US 17-92, SR 40, SR 44 and SR A1A. Applications go through FDOT's One Stop Permitting system and are reviewed against the Utility Accommodation Manual. Work on a bridge or at an interchange receives added structural and traffic review.

Do you work in unincorporated Volusia County?

Yes. Large parts of Volusia are unincorporated, including communities such as Ormond-by-the-Sea, Wilbur-by-the-Sea, Osteen, Cassadaga, DeLeon Springs and Samsula. Work there is permitted through Volusia County rather than a city, and many routes cross between city and county right of way several times. We sort each segment by jurisdiction before submitting permits.

Service Area

Directional Drilling & Fiber Construction in Volusia County

Volusia County is really three construction environments inside one jurisdiction. The barrier island and the coastal strip are fine marine sand with a water table near grade, salt exposure, tight right of way and bridge dependent access. The mainland Halifax corridor from Ormond Beach through Port Orange is built out, congested with legacy utilities and heavy on aerial plant in rear easements. West Volusia along the St Johns River is sandier upland with clay lenses, karst influence toward Orange City and DeLand, floodplain near the river and long agricultural runs out toward Pierson. A contractor working the whole county has to change method, fluid program and traffic control approach depending on which side of the county the job sits on.

TLDR

Strilla Communications Company is a directional drilling and fiber construction contractor based in New Smyrna Beach, inside Volusia County. Volusia is our primary service area, covering all sixteen incorporated cities from the barrier island to the St Johns River, with HDD, conduit, aerial construction, splicing and emergency restoration.

Volusia County Is Where We Are Based

Strilla Communications Company operates from 2174 Jungle Rd in New Smyrna Beach, which puts the yard, the equipment and the crews inside Volusia County rather than dispatched into it. Volusia is the primary service area, Central Florida is secondary, and we have statewide Florida capability when a project calls for it.

That matters operationally. Mobilization to any of the sixteen incorporated cities in the county is a drive, not a travel arrangement, and a crew can be redirected mid day without wrecking a schedule. It also means the soil, permitting offices and traffic patterns described on these pages are the local conditions outside the yard gate.

The company was formed in January 2020 as a directional drilling and fiber construction contractor. Horizontal directional drilling is the lead service, backed by conduit installation, handhole and vault placement, aerial cable construction, strand and lash, fiber splicing, fiber blowing and pulling, make-ready support, system maintenance and emergency service restoration.

Coastal Volusia: Fine Sand, Salt and a Shallow Water Table

The coastal half of the county, from Ormond Beach south through Holly Hill, Daytona Beach, South Daytona, Port Orange, Daytona Beach Shores, Ponce Inlet, New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater and Oak Hill, is built on fine marine sand with shell and coquina. It bores fast. The difficulty is not cutting the ground, it is keeping the hole stable.

The water table sits within a few feet of grade across most of that area and is effectively at grade near the lagoon and marsh edges in Edgewater and Oak Hill. Drilling fluid has to be mixed for those conditions and managed on the way out, because saturated sand does not forgive a poor mud program or excessive annular pressure.

Salt exposure is the other constant. Within a mile or two of the Atlantic, and along the Halifax and Indian River shorelines, hardware, cabinet finishes, grounding and closure selection all see a shorter service life than they would inland. Specifying for that up front costs less than replacing plant later.

The Barrier Island and the Crossings That Reach It

The Volusia barrier island runs the length of the county coast, and access to it is controlled by a short list of bridges. The Granada Boulevard bridge in Ormond Beach, the Seabreeze, Main Street and International Speedway Boulevard bridges in Daytona Beach, the Dunlawton Avenue bridge in Port Orange, and the North and South Causeways in New Smyrna Beach carry nearly all of it.

Any route that has to reach the island crosses one of those structures, which turns a routine design question into a coordination exercise involving the structure owner, the existing attachments and in most cases FDOT. Bridge and causeway approaches also compress every utility in the corridor into a narrow band on both landings.

On the island itself the right of way is tight, alternate routes are scarce, and seasonal and event traffic narrows the hours available for lane closures. Daytona Beach Shores and Ponce Inlet in particular have only Peninsula Drive as a parallel street, and Ponce Inlet dead ends at the inlet, so maintenance of traffic plans get real scrutiny before approval.

West Volusia and the St Johns River Corridor

West Volusia is a different construction environment. DeLand, the county seat, sits on sandy uplands above the St Johns River and holds the Volusia County government center. Deltona is one of the largest platted residential subdivisions in Florida. DeBary and Orange City sit along the I-4 and US 17-92 corridor, and Lake Helen and Pierson are small and rural.

Soils here are sandy with clay lenses, and karst influence increases toward the western side of the county. Orange City in particular sits over shallow limestone with documented sinkhole activity and a first magnitude spring at Blue Spring, which raises the standard for fluid containment and for how a crew responds to lost returns.

River and lake systems add floodplain and wetland conditions, and rail corridors matter here in a way they do not on the coast. The SunRail line runs through DeBary, and crossings of any active rail corridor require a separate railroad agreement on top of the usual right of way permits.

Permitting and Right of Way Across Sixteen Cities

Volusia County has sixteen incorporated municipalities plus a large unincorporated area, and a single fiber route can pass through three permitting authorities in a few miles. Knowing which jurisdiction owns which segment of road before design is finished saves more schedule than any amount of field efficiency.

Sunshine 811 locate tickets are required before any excavation or boring in Florida, without exception. Work in a state road right of way requires an FDOT utility permit, and in Volusia that list includes I-4, I-95, US 1, US 17-92, US 92, SR 40, SR 44, SR A1A, SR 415, SR 421 and SR 472.

Sunshine 811 locate tickets before every bore or excavation
FDOT utility permits for state maintained roads and the interstates
Volusia County permits for county maintained roads and unincorporated segments
Municipal right of way permits, which vary by city in submittal detail and restoration standard
Maintenance of traffic plans for any lane closure or shoulder occupancy
Environmental resource permitting near wetlands, the lagoon, the St Johns River and the spring systems
Railroad agreements for crossings of the Florida East Coast and SunRail corridors

Aerial and Underground Under One Contractor

Volusia projects routinely need both methods. A route can run overhead on existing pole lines through an older mainland neighborhood, drop to underground at an arterial crossing and continue in conduit through a newer subdivision, all inside the same mile of design.

We own our equipment and run our own crews for both, so a scope change from bore to strand and lash does not require a second contractor, a second mobilization or a second set of certificates. Make-ready support, pole coordination and joint use attachment work happen alongside the drilling instead of becoming a separate project.

Underground scope covers directional drilling, conduit installation, handhole and vault placement, fiber blowing and fiber pulling, and restoration. Aerial scope covers strand and lash, overlashing and cable placement. Splicing, testing and documented closeouts finish either one.

Storm Exposure and Emergency Restoration

Volusia County has taken direct coastal damage in recent hurricane seasons, including serious beachside erosion and inland flooding along the St Johns River basin. Outside plant in this county gets built with that in mind.

We keep emergency service restoration capability because the plant we build is exposed to wind, surge, erosion and flooding. Being based in the county means crews are already inside the affected area rather than trying to get in behind a closed bridge or a fuel shortage.

Storm season also shapes planning. Bore profiles near the coast account for erosion and scour, vault and handhole placement accounts for flooding, and slack storage accounts for the likelihood that a repair will be needed at that location later.

How Does FDOT District 5 Fit Into Volusia Projects?

FDOT District 5 is the state transportation district for Volusia and eight other Central Florida counties, and its headquarters is in DeLand. Any utility work inside a state road right of way in Volusia, from I-95 and I-4 to US 1, SR 44 and SR A1A, needs a District 5 utility permit.

District 5 reviews placement against the FDOT Utility Accommodation Manual, which sets rules for location, depth and clearance in state right of way. Applications move through FDOT's online One Stop Permitting system, and work that touches a bridge or a major interchange gets added structural and traffic review.

Most Volusia routes include at least one state road segment, because the state system carries nearly every major corridor in the county. Spotting those segments early, and building the maintenance of traffic plan to District 5 standards, keeps the state permit from becoming the last item holding up construction.

Crossing the Water: Lagoons, the St Johns River and Canals

Volusia sits between two water systems, and almost every long route crosses one. On the east side, the Halifax River, the Indian River and Mosquito Lagoon separate the barrier island from the mainland. On the west side, the St Johns River forms much of the county's boundary.

Each crossing comes down to two options: attach to a bridge, or bore under the water. Bridge attachments depend on the structure owner, free hanger space and engineering review. Directional bores avoid the structure but cross state owned sovereign submerged lands, which need state authorization along with environmental resource permitting from the St Johns River Water Management District or the state environmental agency.

Halifax River bridges at Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and Port Orange
North and South Causeways over the Indian River in New Smyrna Beach
St Johns River crossings between DeBary and Sanford on I-4 and US 17-92, at Osteen on SR 415, at Crows Bluff on SR 44 and at Astor on SR 40
Spring runs at Blue Spring and Gemini Springs, plus the Reed Canal and Florida Shores drainage systems

What Does Sunshine 811 Require Before Digging in Volusia?

Florida Statute Chapter 556 requires a locate request through Sunshine 811 at least two full business days before any excavation or bore. Member utilities then mark their lines using the APWA uniform color code and post a positive response showing whether each line is marked or clear.

The law sets a tolerance zone of 24 inches on each side of a marked facility. Inside it, crews expose the line by hand or soft excavation before a drill head or reamer passes nearby. Tickets have a limited life, so long projects need renewals timed to the work.

Not everything underground is on a ticket. Private irrigation, yard lighting, farm wells and many private service lines belong to property owners, not member utilities. In Volusia that ranges from residential swale irrigation in Deltona to fernery mains around Pierson, and finding those lines is part of the crew's job.

Key takeaways

Volusia County is Strilla Communications' home county, with the company based at 2174 Jungle Rd in New Smyrna Beach.
Volusia has sixteen incorporated cities plus large unincorporated areas, so one fiber route can cross several permitting authorities in a few miles.
Every route to the Volusia barrier island crosses the Halifax River or the Indian River, either on a bridge or by a bore under the water.
Coastal Volusia is fine sand with a shallow water table, while west Volusia adds clay lenses, karst and St Johns River floodplain.
FDOT District 5, headquartered in DeLand, permits utility work on every state road in Volusia County.

Key terms

Volusia County: A county on Florida's Atlantic coast between Flagler and Brevard Counties, with DeLand as its county seat. It has sixteen incorporated cities, a long barrier island and a western edge along the St Johns River. It is Strilla Communications' primary service area.
FDOT District 5: The Florida Department of Transportation district responsible for state roads in Volusia, Brevard, Flagler, Lake, Marion, Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Sumter Counties. Headquartered in DeLand, it issues utility permits for work in state right of way under the FDOT Utility Accommodation Manual.
Indian River Lagoon system: The chain of coastal lagoons along Florida's east coast. In Volusia it includes Mosquito Lagoon and the waters around New Smyrna Beach and Edgewater, meeting the Halifax River near Ponce de Leon Inlet. It separates the barrier island from the mainland and carries strict environmental protections.
St Johns River: Florida's longest river, flowing north along much of Volusia County's western boundary through Lake Monroe and Lake George. Its floodplain, springs and wetlands affect routes near DeBary, Deltona, DeLand, Orange City and Pierson, and crossings need environmental review.

Volusia County construction environments

Area	Cities	Ground	Main constraint	Common methods
Barrier island	Daytona Beach Shores, Ponce Inlet and the beachside of Ormond Beach, Daytona Beach and New Smyrna Beach	Fine dune sand, salty water table near grade	Bridge access, single corridors, coastal rules	Short HDD bores, coastal rated hardware
Halifax mainland	Ormond Beach, Holly Hill, Daytona Beach, South Daytona, Port Orange	Marine sand, shell, old fill	Legacy utilities, rear lot pole lines	Potholing, HDD crossings, make-ready and overlash
Southeast lagoon	New Smyrna Beach, Edgewater, Oak Hill	Saturated sand, muck near the lagoon	Water table, aquatic preserve rules	HDD with strict fluid containment
West Volusia uplands	DeLand, Deltona, Orange City, DeBary, Lake Helen	Sand with clay lenses, karst	Sinkhole risk, rail corridor, large plats	Production HDD, conduit and handholes
St Johns floodplain	Edges of DeBary, Orange City and DeLand	Saturated sand and organic soil	Flooding, springs, environmental review	Contained HDD, vaults sited above flood levels
Northwest rural	Pierson and unincorporated areas	Deep sand, wet flatwoods	Distance, private farm lines	Long aerial spans, HDD road and ditch crossings

Strilla service area

What this means for your project

For a project manager, Volusia's main risk is jurisdictional, not technical. A route that crosses city, county and state right of way needs three permit tracks running in parallel, plus rail or environmental approvals where they apply. Mapping every segment to its authority before design is final is the most effective schedule control in this county.

Ground conditions change across the county, so a bid built on one fluid program or one production rate will be wrong somewhere. Price the barrier island, the Halifax mainland and west Volusia separately, carry potholing allowances in the older cities and plan containment wherever a route nears the lagoon, the river or the springs.

Documentation closes the loop. Local reviewers in DeLand and the cities read as-builts closely, and storm exposure means the next person to open a handhole may be a restoration crew after a hurricane. Accurate depth records, splice locations and slack positions protect the owner long after construction ends.

Cities we cover in Volusia County

Each city page covers the soil, permitting and corridor conditions that actually change how work runs in that place.

Services available across this county

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Volusia County your primary service area?: Yes. Strilla Communications Company is based at 2174 Jungle Rd in New Smyrna Beach, inside Volusia County, and Volusia is the primary service area. Central Florida is secondary and we have statewide Florida capability. Being based here means mobilization to any of the county's sixteen cities is a drive rather than a travel arrangement, and crews can be redirected during the day when a schedule changes.
What makes directional drilling on the Volusia coast different?: Fine marine sand cuts quickly, so the challenge is hole stability rather than penetration. With the water table often within a few feet of grade, and effectively at grade near the lagoon, the drilling fluid program and annular pressure control decide whether the bore holds its shape. Fluid containment also matters more near the Halifax and Indian River shorelines, where a loss of returns carries environmental consequences.
Which permits are typically required for fiber construction in Volusia County?: Every bore or excavation starts with a Sunshine 811 locate ticket. State roads such as I-95, US 1, SR 44, SR 40 and SR A1A require an FDOT utility permit, county maintained roads require a Volusia County permit, and each of the sixteen municipalities issues its own. Lane closures require a maintenance of traffic plan, and work near wetlands or water bodies may require environmental resource permitting.
Do you handle both aerial and underground scope?: Yes. We run owned equipment and our own crews for horizontal directional drilling, conduit installation and vault placement, and for aerial cable construction, strand and lash and make-ready support. Volusia routes frequently need both inside the same mile, so keeping the two capabilities under one contractor removes a handoff, a second mobilization and a common source of schedule slip.
How do you handle karst and sinkhole risk in west Volusia?: Toward Orange City, DeLand and the western part of the county, limestone sits closer to the surface and voids are possible. The practical response is to treat sudden loss of returns or unexplained fluid behavior as a geological signal, stop and evaluate rather than push through. Vault and handhole siting also accounts for that risk instead of being placed purely for constructability.
Can you support emergency restoration after a storm?: Emergency service restoration is part of what we do, and being based in New Smyrna Beach means crews are already inside the affected area rather than travelling in behind closures. Coastal Volusia is exposed to wind, surge and erosion, while the west side of the county is exposed to St Johns River flooding. Call (386) 396-2033 to discuss restoration coverage before the season, not during it.
Does FDOT District 5 permit work on state roads in Volusia County?: Yes. FDOT District 5, headquartered in DeLand, reviews utility work in the right of way of every state road in Volusia, including I-95, I-4, US 1, US 92, US 17-92, SR 40, SR 44 and SR A1A. Applications go through FDOT's One Stop Permitting system and are reviewed against the Utility Accommodation Manual. Work on a bridge or at an interchange receives added structural and traffic review.
Do you work in unincorporated Volusia County?: Yes. Large parts of Volusia are unincorporated, including communities such as Ormond-by-the-Sea, Wilbur-by-the-Sea, Osteen, Cassadaga, DeLeon Springs and Samsula. Work there is permitted through Volusia County rather than a city, and many routes cross between city and county right of way several times. We sort each segment by jurisdiction before submitting permits.

Other counties we serve

Request a Bid

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Request a Bid Call (386) 396-2033

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