Gimenez's Surly Attitude Towards People Against Aerial Spraying: Will It Do Him In, He Needs Miami Beach Voters. By Geniusofdespair

Miami Beach residents were not impressed with Mayor Gimenez's reaction to their opposition to Aerial Spraying. The spray is as toxic as the mosquitoes.  He doesn't know how to talk to people. What Mayor Gimenez needs to be doing is building bat houses in his garage. Bats eat scads of mosquitoes. But that is another post. Frankly, I think aerial spraying is grasping at straws since it doesn't work well.

Anyway,  I think the Mayor is whispering in Doug Hanks ear too much. I don't like the thought of Zika, but I also don't want to be sprayed if it doesn't work.  Here is what Raquel Regalado has to say about the spraying:

Two weeks ago, the CDC Director advised the people of Miami Beach that aerial spraying "isn't practical over South Beach because of the height of its buildings and strong winds over the narrow island city."

If it was not practical two weeks ago, it is not practical today.

​The men, women, children and pets that live in Miami Beach are being exposed to extreme measures, aerial spraying of poisonous insecticides, because Carlos Gimenez believes he knows better than anyone else how to manage the crisis his negligence has compounded.

Once again, Carlos Gimenez refuses to listen to the will of the residents of Miami-Dade County who have vocalized their opposition to this aerial spraying. The property owners and citizens of Miami Beach have taken measures to stem the breeding of mosquitos, and now they do not want the county to conduct aerial spraying.

The county must respect their wishes.

If the Governor, or the Director of the CDC, believe that it is necessary to conduct aerial spraying, and they order the planes into the air, then the people of Miami Beach may have to accept it.

Once the State of Florida Department of Health, or the United States Center for Disease Control, declares a neighborhood a Zika-transmission zone, Miami-Dade County has by definition failed in its mission to control the disease-carrying domestic mosquitos. As a result of this failure, the residents of Miami-Dade have every right to question the authority of their county government.

As your next Mayor, I will be tracking and monitoring the infestations of disease-carrying domestic mosquitos throughout our urban areas.

There will be an appropriate, measured response to concentrations of mosquito breeding zones. Had this been the policy over the past several years, the spread of #Zika may have never occurred in Miami-Dade County. Guaranteed, I will respect the will of the residents of Miami-Dade County.

As your Mayor, my priority will be protecting our families, not playing politics and passing the buck.

In contrast, Gimenez has spent weeks blaming municipalities, the State and the Federal government for his failure to do his job. Showing up to conduct mosquito eradication operations in areas where multiple people have tested positive for Zika infection is too little, too late.

His extreme actions only compound the crisis by exposing residents to excessive doses of toxic chemicals. This reactionary strategy by the current county administration is a disservice to residents throughout Miami-Dade County. Our people expect and deserve preventative countywide mosquito control.

For over a year, I have demanded that Carlos Gimenez listen to the people and honor the views of our citizens. Today, I ask him to stand-down.

Allow the State and Federal officials who have more credibility to make the decision on aerial spraying. The county has lost the moral high ground on this issue and should not order aerial sprayings on Miami Beach.