One of Tampa Bay's dengue emergencies was due to run out this week. Pinellas County has now extended its order. This is Dengue Watch. Today, how long Pinellas's emergency now runs, and why helicopters are flying low over parts of Hillsborough.
From Pinellas County's Resolution 26-83, ordered on September 30:
the Board of County Commissioners finds that a factual basis exists for the County to remain under a State of Local Emergency until 3:00 P.M. Thursday, October 8, 2026, and the State of Local Emergency is hereby extended until such time.
So last episode we flagged that these seven-day orders would expire around now unless counties acted. Pinellas acted. Its emergency now runs to 3 p.m. on Thursday, October 8th. Right. Under Florida law, a local emergency lasts seven days, and then it can be extended seven days at a time. The order covers incorporated and unincorporated Pinellas, but nothing outside the county. It also carries forward every earlier dengue emergency order. And what does that change for someone in Clearwater or St. Pete? Mostly it changes what happens behind the scenes. The Tampa Free Press reports the order lets County Administrator Barry Burton approve mosquito-control spending without delay, and keeps open the possibility of state reimbursement if funds become available. Bay News 9 says crews in treatment areas are going door to door and, with permission, treating standing water. And the numbers behind it? Bay News 9 cites the state's latest report: seven confirmed dengue cases in Pinellas since August, and 179 across Pinellas, Pasco and Hillsborough. Those are locally acquired cases in the state's surveillance report running through September 19th, so they're more than a week old. The resolution also points to West Nile activity. That's a separate mosquito-borne virus, which the county picked up in its sentinel chicken flocks. One more thing. We haven't seen reporting yet on whether Hillsborough and Pasco extended their orders, so we're not going to guess.
Hillsborough County, in a release dated September 28:
Mosquito Management crews are increasing treatments by air and ground because mosquito traps in many neighborhoods are showing dengue fever virus activity in the mosquito populations.
So that's the reason the county gives. And this week the work is easy to spot. Low-flying helicopters, in the daytime, over East Lake, Riverview and Bloomingdale. Lee County's Mosquito Control District is flying East Lake to help Hillsborough's own crews. A county-hired contractor is covering Riverview and Bloomingdale. Both are dropping liquid Bti, a naturally occurring bacterium aimed at mosquito larvae, before they grow into biting adults. The county says the product doesn't harm people, pets, fish, birds or beneficial insects. And the county's pretty upfront that it's going to be loud. Helicopters just above the treetops, repeated parallel passes over the same blocks. East Lake should take about a day, and Riverview and Bloomingdale two or three, depending on weather. There's a second operation, too. A separate notice scheduled nighttime helicopter spraying of Dibrom, an insecticide for adult mosquitoes, from 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, September 29th, to 6 a.m. Wednesday. It covered a large stretch of Tampa between Busch Boulevard and State Route 60. Alternate dates were Wednesday the 30th and today, October 1st. One detail people might miss: the neighboring counties are donating their time, but the treatment products and contractor services are paid for with taxpayer dollars. And if you want to know whether your street is next, the county runs an alert sign-up and an online map of treatment areas. The county is also urging residents to follow its three Ds: dress in light, long-sleeved clothing, defend with a CDC-recommended repellent, and dump or cover standing water.
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Links to every story are in the show notes. Thanks for listening, and we'll catch you next time. That's Dengue Watch for today. This is a Lantern Podcast.