GREEN COVE SPRINGS, Fla. -- A mosquito boom across Northeast Florida has crews working around the clock to fight back. So far in Clay County, no cases of West Nile have been reported and mosquito control is making sure it stays that way.
Folks in Clay County say mosquitoes have been a huge problem ever since Tropical Storm Debby rolled through. The county has stepped up its efforts to spray and the community is noticing a difference.
Those living in Green Cove Springs cringe every time it rains. More rain means more standing water. And that means more mosquitoes.
"This has been the worst that many people in the area and mosquito control has ever seen it," said Clay County Emergency Management Deputy Director, John Ward.
Concerns are high in every North Florida county. The fear is a higher number of the insects creates a better chance for West Nile Virus.
"We've seen a lot of recent cases in surrounding counties of West Nile so we want to stay on top of that and prevent that from happening in our area."
Clay County Mosquito Control has increased mosquito control efforts, using state resources to spray by ground and by sky.
"We also asked for state assistance to come in and do some aerial spraying. The gave us a 15-thousand acre tract in the northeast part of the county which is where some of our higher counts were."
And it's paying off. They're already noticing a big drop since the aerial spray Saturday. But many living outside that area worried they weren't getting the help they also need. Ward stresses no area is getting left behind.
"County wide, we did one spray over every road in the county between county assets and state assets and then they're actually three quarters of the way done on a second pass throughout the county so unfortunately its a slow process but it is being addressed," Ward said.
Officials with Mosquito Control say they will continue with heightened response until they notice a significant drop in the mosquito population.
You are still being urged to call your local mosquito control to report problems in your community and request teams to come out to spray.
