MIAMI BEACH, Fla. – Miami Beach city commissioners held a public meeting Wednesday to voice concerns about aerial spraying that was scheduled for Thursday morning over the city's Zika zone.
Commissioner Michael Grieco has been especially vocal about his concerns about spraying the same pesticide, Naled, that was sprayed over the Wynwood area after locally transmitted cases were reported.
Many residents of Miami Beach are also concerned about potential health effects from the pesticide.
Miami-Dade County Mayor Carlos Gimenez attended the meeting and said that the recommendation for the aerial spraying is coming from federal and state health officials.
"Remember, the CDC is not a state agency," Gimenez said. "The CDC is a federal agency, and they are the ones too that are recommending this."
But Grieco and members of the public believe the risk of exposure to the pesticide is too great.
"It's very clear that Naled is a neurotoxin that does pose effects to human beings," concerned resident Brandon Burke said.
Health officials told the commission that they need to act to control the rising numbers of Zika cases, and in this situation, the aerial spraying will have little to no effect on people.
"Zika is a thing. Zika is real, and while we don't understand it fully, that is not a reason to dismiss its impact," OBGYN Dr. Christine Curry said.
Local officials agreed to postpone the spraying in the affected 1.5-square-mile area in Miami Beach until Friday morning.
"During today's meeting with the city of Miami Beach, city leadership and residents asked for more time to prepare and inform Miami Beach residents and visitors about our aerial-spraying plan," Gimenez said in a statement after the meeting. "In consultation with health experts and the city of Miami Beach, we have agreed to delay aerial spraying with adulticide by one day."
Gimenez said aerial spraying will begin about 5 a.m. Friday, weather permitting. The area will be sprayed again on Sunday and on the following two weekends.
