Mosquito control monitoring ramps up; county weighing truck spraying and sentinel options
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Summary
Mosquito-control staff reported trap counts rising with recent rains and discussed localized truck spraying funded by a grant; staff said the county has not participated in sentinel‑chicken monitoring and plans to evaluate the option.
Karen Kozak, the county’s Emergency Management Director who oversees the mosquito-control program, told commissioners the program continues to monitor trap counts and is preparing for targeted truck-mounted spraying in specific communities when surveillance exceeds baseline.
Kozak said the county’s program is primarily grant‑funded, with Clark Environmental contracted to provide adulticiding (truck spraying) across the county. She told the board that Okeechobee County has not participated in the sentinel‑chicken program that some agencies use to detect certain mosquito-borne diseases, and the county will evaluate whether that is an appropriate addition.
Commissioners discussed recent heavy rains and the potential for elevated mosquito numbers. Kozak said large aerial operations occurred after the hurricanes when state resources were available, but routine responses in Okeechobee are truck‑mounted and localized. She told the board the program will spray only in identified areas that exceed surveillance thresholds and that staff will seek grant funding to shift some operational costs into available grant support.
No vote was taken; staff said they will continue trap monitoring, evaluate sentinel‑chicken testing for disease surveillance and report back if grant options change the program’s scope.