So now that the Dog Fly plane is gone, what now?

[Miss Critter]

I'll take nuisance over poison any day.

 

[30A Skunkape]

What I advocate, and I am sure FG must agree, is spraying tourists. That way there will be nothing here but locals and we will be forced to diversify the local economy.

 

[Smiling JOe]

John Magee, thanks for the response, but why do you suggest calling TDC or BCC to complain about biting insects, just because they "govern" the beach? The BCC also governs all parts of the County, but we don't call them when the squirrels in our yard become a nuisance, eating all of the bird food. Jelly Fish are also considered a nuisance by some, but the Sea Turtles love to eat them. Surely, we wouldn't try to control the Jelly Fish by poisoning our waters, just so the tourists can swim, would we? I hope not, but that was essentially what was being done by blanket-spraying poisons from planes to try and kill Dog Flies.

 

[florida girl]

how coincidental.

Really!

 

[florida girl]

Florida girl would you please get your facts correct since you are running for the office of the mosquito control.

1. The South Walton Mosquito Control has NEVER been in charge of the dog fly program. It has assisted the state in monitoring dog flies on the beach that is the extent of its responsibility. They have not been directed to find any alternative program. The mission of the South Walton Mosquito Control is to control disease carrying insects the dog flies are considered a nuisance insect and are not covered under its responsibilities.

2. The state of Florida has funded the dog fly program. In the past last year the board of county commissioners decided not to have the dog fly plane fly over our county. This started a domino effect by the state to do away with a dog fly program.

3. The age of the plane was one of the deciding factors and the fact that the governor had asked for all departments to reduce spending. This program came under the Department of Agriculture and by doing away with this program was able to say some of their jobs in Tallahassee.

4. The only time dog flies are on the beach is when there is a north wind blowing down from Alabama and Georgia, when you have a south wind you have no problems.

5. The only effective way of controlling the dog flies is by aerial spraying which South Walton Mosquito Control has no aerial spraying program.

6. Any kind of program will now have to be funded by the taxpayers of Walton County through the board of county commissioners.

7. If you have a problem with dog flies call your Walton County Commissioners or the Tourist Development since they are in charge of the beaches.

Food for thought, when this issue was being debated in Tallahassee the Walton County Board of commissioners and Chamber of Commerce and Tourist Development were asked to give their opinions on whether to continue this program. None of the above organizations responded to the request of Tallahassee.

In addition, Deet, Skin So Soft is not the answer to dog flies. They are a nuisance they do not carry disease they bight so the only solution is to wear long sleeved shirts pants or stay off the beach.

I hope this clears up this issue unfortunately; we are stuck with the nuisance.

Common Sense Vote

Re-Elect
John J. Magee Seat 1 SWMC

Re-Elect
James Crawford seat 2 SWMC​

I'm sorry; I don't accept the "nothing can be done, live with it" opinion. I've seen too many things change, and this issue will have to be dealt with if we want to continue to live and work here. Passing the buck to some other organization is not the solution either. I got interested in running for the SWMC board because I got tired of the "nothing can be done" attitude. The Mosquito Control Board is exactly who needs to deal with these issues, they are most interested and qualified. Regardless of what the BCC has done, and who has authority, we, as citizens still have a voice to speak. The board has the contacts and access to research available to seek out solutions. Too many things have been able to be done without hardly more than a mention from the board. Look at JD Miller road, for an example; the boards answer was for the citizen to contact the Code Enforcement office. I think the boards answer should be, we?ll investigate this thoroughly, and come up with a resolution. With the support of the community, we?ll get this matter changed! The Mosquito Control was founded to deal with the nuisance insects, and solve the problem. What other agency has the resources to deal with it? It isn?t the job of the BCC! If the state program hadn?t been founded, Florida wouldn?t be the tourist state it is! That was the point! Florida is going through some major problems, if we eliminate tourism, what other industry should we encourage? What would you tell Disney and the multiple other destinations tourists flock too?

 

[NoHall]

What I advocate, and I am sure FG must agree, is spraying tourists. That way there will be nothing here but locals and we will be forced to diversify the local economy.

When I am seriously injured from falling off the couch laughing at you, I'm gonna send you the doctor bill.

 

[florida girl]

This is an excerpt from Time Magazine:

Is Florida the Sunset State?
By Michael Grunwald/Miami Thursday, Jul. 10, 2008

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1821648,00.html

Florida was once a swampy rural backwater, the poorest and emptiest state in the South. But in the 20th century, air-conditioning, bug spray and the miracle of water control helped transform it into a migration destination for the restless masses of Brooklyn and Cleveland, Havana and Port-au-Prince. Florida developed its own ventricle at the heart of the American Dream--not only as an affordable playground and comfortable retirement home with no income tax but also as a state of escape and opportunity, a Magic Kingdom for tourists, a Fountain of Youth for seniors, a Cape Canaveral for Northerners looking to launch their second acts. Even the soggy Everglades, once considered a God-forsaken hellhole, became a national treasure.

 

[Hop]

SJ is right...they are only bad when the wind is blowing from the north...Cowboy was getting attacked so badly the other day, he was crying and we had to RUN for the car....the lifeguard suggested Bullfrog which has insect repellent and sunscreen...

 

[scooterbug44]

1) Someone told me that the most effective way to control dogflies was to treat them at their point of origin - as they breed/come from somewhere in another state.

2) I've spent years in Sowal and only been annoyed by dogflies a handful of times (and my tolerance level for buggy pests is quite low). A slight change of plans or mild inconvenience is not enough to justify me, my daily environment, water, and food being regularly sprayed with poisons.

 

[NoHall]

1) Someone told me that the most effective way to control dogflies was to treat them at their point of origin - as they breed/come from somewhere in another state.

Scooter, why does this make such sense to us and no sense to the people with all the poison?