Pinellas County extended its dengue emergency to Oct. 15 with 20 local cases. Spraying can start at 11 p.m., and residents can drop off four tires free.
Pinellas County has extended its state of local emergency for dengue fever until Thursday, Oct. 15. The county has now recorded 20 locally acquired cases since August.
County Administrator Barry Burton signed the extension Thursday, the county said in a release. He acts under authority the Board of County Commissioners gave him when it declared the emergency on Sept. 24.
The emergency lets Burton approve mosquito control spending quickly. It also opens the door to state reimbursement if money becomes available, according to the county.
How fast cases have grown
Pinellas had three locally acquired cases in mid-August. The total stayed in single digits until late September, then jumped to 13 and to 20 within two weeks.
The counts come from the Florida Department of Health’s weekly arbovirus reports. The report for the week to Oct. 3 lists:
| County | Locally acquired cases, 2026 |
|---|---|
| Hillsborough | 259 |
| Pinellas | 20 |
| Pasco | 3 |
| Florida total | 296 |
That puts the three Tampa Bay counties at 282 cases, the figure the county also cited. Hillsborough has nearly nine in 10 of the state’s cases. Pinellas has also found West Nile virus in its sentinel chicken flocks, which the county called an early warning of possible human infections.
What the county is doing
Pinellas County Mosquito Control said it is running fogging trucks and a larviciding truck every day, weather permitting. Other steps:
- Late-night spraying: truck fogging may start as early as 11 p.m.
- Extra trucks: the county hired Clarke Mosquito Services for overnight treatments. Those trucks carry both Pinellas County and Clarke branding and may have out-of-state plates.
- Help from Lee County: Lee County Mosquito Control lent equipment.
- Door-to-door crews: in treatment areas, staff in county uniforms with ID badges are asking to treat standing water on private property.
Completed and planned truck and aerial treatments are on the county’s treatment map.
Free tire drop-off through Oct. 30
Old tires left outside collect rainwater and can breed thousands of mosquitoes in a season, the county said. Until Friday, Oct. 30, Pinellas County Solid Waste is waiving the residential tire disposal fee:
- up to four tires per resident, no more than 36 inches across
- rims may stay on; tires must be kept separate from other trash
- bring a valid driver’s license showing a Pinellas County address
- businesses still pay the normal fee
Drop-off is at the Solid Waste Disposal Complex, 3095 114th Ave. N, St. Petersburg. It is open 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday. Closed-toe shoes are required on site. For curbside pickup and bulk items, see our trash and recycling guide.
What it means for you
- Empty anything holding water around your home once a week: plant saucers, buckets, birdbaths, tarps and old tires.
- Wear light-colored long sleeves and closed-toe shoes outdoors.
- Use an EPA-registered repellent with DEET, picaridin, IR3535 or oil of lemon eucalyptus.
- If you think you have a mosquito-borne illness, call the Florida Department of Health in Pinellas County at 727-824-6932.
The county posts updates at Pinellas.gov/mosquito and explains dengue symptoms at Pinellas.gov/dengue.
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