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Miami-Dade Mayor: No Expansion Of Aerial Spraying

Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.
Kaiser Health News
/
The Florida Channel
Leon County Judge John Cooper on June 30, 2022, in a screen grab from The Florida Channel.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez says that there are no plans to widen the aerial spraying of pesticides despite the expansion of an area where the Zika virus is being transmitted by mosquitoes.

Gimenez made his announcement a day after state officials said the transmission area in Miami Beach had expanded north from South Beach. The total affected area is now about 4.5 square miles.

Gimenez in his statement that local officials will continue "aggressive on-the-ground and truck spraying" into next week in the entire affected area. He said that authorities will review data over the weekend and consult with Miami Beach officials before making further decisions.

Some residents this past week said they'd rather be bitten than be exposed to droplets of chemicals sprayed from planes to kill the bugs.