The Florida Department of Health in Citrus County investigates complaints regarding Sanitary Nuisances as defined in Florida Statute 386.041. A nuisance injurious to health is generally defined as:
- Untreated or improperly treated human waste, garbage, offal, dead animals, or dangerous waste materials from manufacturing processes, air pollutants, gasses, and noisome odors which are harmful to human or animal life.
- Improperly built or maintained septic tanks, water closets, or privies.
- Keeping diseased animals dangerous to human health.
- Unclean or filthy places where animals are slaughtered.
- Any condition capable of breeding flies, mosquitoes, or other arthropods capable of transmitting diseases to humans.
- Any act or condition which may cause disease.
When a nuisance is found to exist, a sanitary nuisance notice is issued giving a reasonable time for correction, based on the severity of the condition, and if correction is not completed, legal action is taken. Failure to comply is considered a second degree misdemeanor.
To report the presence of insects in public locations, please submit a report online to the Florida Department of Business and Professional Regulation (DBPR).
Zika
The type of mosquitoes capable of spreading Zika live in Citrus County. Zika is a disease spread to humans by infected mosquitos that can cause severe birth defects when a pregnant woman is infected. In order to prevent Zika from spreading in the county, it is extremely important to prevent mosquitos from breeding in areas where people live, work, and play. These mosquitoes breed in small amounts of standing water and they can breed in as small a space as a bottle cap full of water.
Please dump any standing water in yards like buckets, dog bowls, pot saucers, and rain gauges daily to prevent mosquito breeding in yards and report any discarded tires to the Florida Department of Health or Citrus County Mosquito Control District at 352-527-7478. Ask neighbors to do the same, and report instances of possible mosquito breeding to the Florida Department of Health in Citrus County or to the Citrus County Mosquito Control District.