After all the spraying we’ve been through, after the Zika scare, after all the news about our corrupt governor Scott– I have NO idea why but Monroe County voters and those in the Lower Keys neighborhood of Key Haven were split on election day. Half the people are trusting of the plan the government has to release Oxitec GM mosquitoes in Key Haven as a test to see if they can reduce the population of Aedes aegypti mosquitoes, which carry Zika and other viruses. (The original GM mosquitos they released in Brazil still feel somehow connected to mess.)
From the article:
“In a nonbinding referendum, about 58 percent of voters countywide favored the mosquito release. In Key Haven, where the same question was asked, about 65 percent of voters opposed the release.”
Now, the final decision to release the GMO mosquitoes in the spring of 2017 falls on the Florida Keys Mosquito Control Board. The board’s November 19th meeting hasn’t yet set its agenda so Beth Ranson, public information officer, could not confirm whether it will be discussed.
We will update you when final decisions are made.
Source: Miami Herald
