The Citrus County Commission on Tuesday unanimously agreed to do something about a mosquito trap in Crystal River that is proving to be a public health hazard.

Health Department Officials had warned that recent tests showed that mosquitos at 1660 North Nightshade Drive were carrying a number of diseases dangerous to humans.

There are a number of chickens at various locations in the county, said Mosquito Control Director Joel Jacobson told commissioners on Tuesday. Blood tests are routinely performed on those chickens, and the results are shared with the county's health department.

The property was recently sprayed from the air, at a cost of $15,000, but it had not rid the area of mosquitoes, which threaten nearby schools. Jacobson said that his department had been treating the area for about a year.

Commissioner J.J. Kenney said he was concerned that the problem has been going on for a year and that no one had contacted county staff to alert someone of the problem. Kenney called the area a public health hazard and puts county residents at risk. "Mosquito Control should contract county staff more quickly in future. We're talking public health. This isn't Penn State," Kenney said.

The time lapse between Nov. 1, 2010 and now was because the health department must first decide when there is a health risk before an advisory is issued, Jacobson said. He also said there were more than 40 different types of mosquitoes found in the county, and that they could migrate to as far away as 15 miles from the Nightshade Drive property.

County Administrator Brad Thorpe added that the 11-acre site behind the Huddle House in Crystal River is private property, and the county could not just barge onto it without the owner's permission. Unfortunately, that owner has died, and
Thorpe said that there have been no heirs to come forward to claim it. That also means, County Attorney Richard Wesch said, that there has been no one to file a lien against the property to assure it is cleaned up.

That means the county will be on the hook to clean the property up. Public Works Director Ken Frink said estimates for cleaning up the property range from $40,000 (if the county does the work) to $100,000 (if a private contractor does the work).

Development Services Director Vince Cautero said that the first complaint was filed on Nov. 1, 2010. "If we had been able to cite (the owner), we probably would have seen it," Cautero said. "There is a lot to clean up and some legal concerns."

Wesch said that the property is free and clear of known liens, and that the county could declare property a public hazard and then file a lien and, if necessary, foreclose on the lien and eventually make it public.

SO YOU KNOW:

• Mosquito control web site
• County health department web site