![\"In](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/IMG_IMG_zika_spray_2.0_3_2_1_M0FO1IMF_L466380299.JPG\" "\\"In")
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In 2016, a groundskeeper at Pinecrest Gardens sprayed a pesticide to kill mosquitoes to help control a Zika virus outbreak.<\/p>\n
Gaston De Cardenas Miami Herald<\/p>\n
Miami<\/p>\n
When Miami-Dade County Mayor Daniella Levine Cava launched a campaign this week to oppose November\u2019s ballot proposal<\/a> to cut property taxes, she warned that the decrease in local government revenue \u201cthreatens everything from public safety and emergency response to our roads, parks, our libraries.\u201d<\/p>\n She\u2019s correct \u2014 property taxes fund big-ticket items such as police and fire, among others. But here\u2019s another item that might be on the chopping block but doesn\u2019t get the same buzz: mosquito control.<\/p>\n At least 60% of voters must approve Amendment 3 to increase Florida\u2019s homestead exemption on primary homes from $50,000 to $250,000 by 2028. If that happens, the mayor expects the county\u2019s mosquito control program to lose $1 million of a budget that\u2019s projected to be $13.6 million in 2026-27.<\/p>\n That number looks small when you consider that Amendment 3 would eliminate an estimated 20% of the $3 billion Miami-Dade collects in property taxes annually, the Herald reported. But the county already underfunds mosquito control compared to places like the Florida Keys, Phil Goodman, a representative of the Florida Mosquito Control Association, told the Herald Editorial Board.<\/p>\n South Florida is essentially a big swamp and mosquitos aren\u2019t just a nuisance that ruin outdoor activities. They are a public-health concern. Among the viruses they can spread: Zika, dengue, chikungunya.<\/p>\n For voters, reducing mosquito control may seem like a reasonable trade-off for lower taxes, and if you look at it in isolation, maybe. But consider how Amendment 3 would force local governments to chip away \u2014 at varying degrees, depending on each community \u2014 at other programs such as parks, libraries and animal shelters.<\/p>\n Maybe it\u2019s fewer sheriff\u2019s deputies who are hired or fewer fire trucks purchased. Perhaps some parks and libraries close or reduce operating hours or eliminate after-school programs. Social services for the elderly could be hit with cuts. The waiting time to obtain a building permit may increase if county hall layoffs take place. And we cannot forget that 9% of Miami-Dade\u2019s property taxes go toward Jackson Health, the county\u2019s public hospital system, according to a Herald analysis.<\/a><\/p>\n It\u2019s undeniable that Floridians need financial relief, and property taxes in South Florida have risen as the result of skyrocketing housing values. More local governments could have responded by lowering the tax rate, which Miami-Dade did, by 1%, two years in a row. Or the Republican-led Legislature could have created a measured approach to cutting taxes. Instead, it delivered a ballot proposal without studying its impacts. That leaves it to voters to decide: Do they sacrifice local services in exchange for a tax break?<\/p>\n Few people have to think about mosquito control these days \u2014 that is, until there\u2019s a mosquito-borne disease outbreak, such as Miami\u2019s Zika outbreak a decade ago, shutting down businesses and impacting tourism. The virus arrived in South Florida primarily from parts of the Caribbean where Zika is endemic, a 2017 study<\/a> published in the Nature journal found. Miami is a hub for travelers from that region and has the mosquito that can spread the virus.<\/p>\n During a 1934 dengue fever outbreak, an estimated 10% of Dade County\u2019s population<\/a> was infected. Outbreaks like that are no longer common because of modern research and equipment to keep mosquitos at bay. There are currently about 40 cases of locally transmitted dengue fever in Florida, Goodman said. Although 30 of them are in Hillsborough County, Miami remains a concern.<\/p>\n \u201cI think Miami-Dade has been the center in Florida for… mosquito-borne diseases for the last 10 years,\u201d said Goodman, who\u2019s also chairman of the Florida Keys Mosquito Control District Board. \u201cYou have cases every year of dengue fever and Zika… they are coming in from these travel-related cases from all over South and Central America.\u201d<\/p>\n Florida counties usually fund mosquito control through property taxes. Smaller and rural counties that stand to lose the most revenue from Amendment 3 would be forced to make deeper cuts than Miami-Dade. But mosquitos don\u2019t respect county lines. If Amendment 3 is approved, Florida may soon learn whether communities can control their spread on the cheap.<\/p>\n BEHIND THE STORY MORE <\/a> What’s an editorial? <\/p>\n Editorials<\/a> are opinion pieces that reflect the views of the Miami Herald Editorial Board, a group of opinion journalists that operates separately from the Miami Herald newsroom. Miami Herald Editorial Board<\/a> members are: opinion editor Amy Driscoll and editorial writers Isadora Rangel and Mary Anna Mancuso. Read more by clicking the arrow in the upper right.<\/p>\n What’s the difference between an op-ed and a column? <\/p>\n Op-Eds<\/a>, short for \u201copposite the editorial page,\u201d are opinion pieces written by contributors who are not affiliated with our Editorial Board. <\/p>\n Columns<\/a> are recurring opinion pieces that represent the views of staff columnists that regularly appear on the op-ed page. <\/p>\n How does the Miami Herald Editorial Board decide what to write about? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board, made up of experienced opinion journalists, primarily addresses local and state issues that affect South Florida residents. Each board member has an area of focus, such as education, COVID or local government policy. Board members meet daily and bring up an array of topics for discussion. Once a topic is fully discussed, board members will further report the issue, interviewing stakeholders and others involved and affected, so that the board can present the most informed opinion possible. We strive to provide our community with thought leadership that advocates for policies and priorities that strengthen our communities. Our editorials promote social justice, fairness in economic, educational and social opportunities and an end to systemic racism and inequality. The Editorial Board is separate from the reporters and editors of the Miami Herald newsroom.<\/p>\n How can I contribute to the Miami Herald Opinion section? <\/p>\n The Editorial Board accepts op-ed submissions of 650-700 words from community members who want to argue a specific viewpoint or idea that is relevant to our area. You can email an op-ed submission to oped@miamiherald.com. We also accept 150-word letters to the editor from readers who want to offer their points of view on current issues. For more information on how to submit a letter, go here<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"In 2016, a groundskeeper at Pinecrest Gardens sprayed a pesticide to kill mosquitoes to help control a Zika…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":390168,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[15],"tags":[225,227,226],"class_list":["post-390167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-hialeah","tag-hialeah","tag-hialeah-headlines","tag-hialeah-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=390167"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/390167\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/390168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=390167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=390167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=390167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}