Pinellas Waives Tire Dump Fees Through Oct. 30 in Push Against Dengue Mosquitoes

Pinellas County will let residents dump old tires for free through Oct. 30, part of an emergency push to knock down the mosquito population blamed for spreading dengue fever across the Tampa Bay area. County officials say a single tire holding rainwater in a backyard can produce thousands of mosquitoes in one season, and getting rid of them is one of the simplest things a homeowner can do to cut the risk in their own yard.

The waiver runs Sept. 28 through Oct. 30 at the Pinellas County Solid Waste Disposal Complex, 3095 114th Ave. N. in St. Petersburg. It's open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sundays. Normal drop-off fees apply outside those dates.

The offer comes with rules. Residents can bring up to four tires per load, each under 36 inches in diameter, and tires may still be on their rims. Drivers need to show a Florida driver's license proving Pinellas County residency, and the load has to be tires only, not mixed in with other household trash. Tires from businesses are not covered.

Why tires, and why now

The county declared a state of local emergency over dengue fever on Sept. 24. As of the most recent report from the Florida Department of Health, the Tampa Bay region has counted 179 locally acquired dengue cases, including 7 in Pinellas County. The declaration gives County Administrator Barry A. Burton faster authority to direct mosquito-control spending and could open the door to state reimbursement if funding becomes available.

Dengue is spread by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes, species that behave differently than the mosquitoes most Floridians are used to swatting at dusk. They bite during the day as well as at night, and they don't need much to breed. County officials say it can take as little as a bottlecap of standing water. Old tires, plant saucers, buckets, pet dishes and toys left in a yard are exactly the kind of small containers these mosquitoes favor, far more than ditches, ponds or canals.

Mosquito Control has also expanded surveillance, ground inspections and larval and adult treatments countywide, and the county says technicians may knock on doors to check yards for hidden breeding sites.

A regional problem

County officials note that dengue mosquitoes rarely travel far from where they hatch, often no more than a few houses. But people move around the region constantly, and a mosquito that bites an infected person in one county can pass the virus along elsewhere. Hillsborough and Pasco counties have also declared states of emergency over the outbreak, and health officials describe the current case count as unusually high for a season that would normally be winding down.

The county has not said whether the tire fee waiver will be extended past Oct. 30 or repeated later in the year. For now, residents who want to take advantage of it have about a month to make the trip to the disposal complex before the free window closes.

For more on the county's response, visit the Pinellas County Community Website. You can follow our coverage and share this story on Facebook, and join the conversation in our Community Forum. For more updates on how the county is handling the outbreak, check out our public safety coverage and healthcare stories.

Header photo: James Gathany / Wikimedia Commons (Public domain)