St. Petersburg has filed an injunction against Thach Tire & Rim, a used tire shop at 1445 16th St. N. The city alleges the business is a public health hazard as dengue fever spreads across the Tampa Bay region. Residents have raised concerns about a mosquito breeding site.
The legal action comes as Pinellas and Hillsborough counties grapple with a growing dengue outbreak.
Dengue Cases Keep Climbing Across the Region
As of Oct. 21, the Tampa Bay region had 352 confirmed dengue cases across Pinellas, Pasco, Polk and Hillsborough counties. Hillsborough accounted for 310, the highest county total in the state, according to WUSF. Pinellas County is partnering with Lee County in an effort to bring the outbreak under control, the station reported.
The Florida Department of Health report for Oct. 4-10 recorded 37 locally acquired cases in Pinellas since August. Hillsborough added 51 cases that week, bringing its total since July to 310, according to the same WUSF report. Pinellas and Hillsborough had extended a local state of emergency covering dengue through Oct. 22.
Officials Point to Containers That Hold Standing Water
County officials have used aerial mosquito treatments in parts of St. Petersburg and Clearwater as part of the broader response, WUSF reported. A Pinellas County Mosquito Control spokesman warned that water-holding items on private property—including tires, buckets and toys—can provide mosquito-breeding sites. Health officials have also identified discarded tires as places where water can collect.
Past Outbreaks and Tire-Disposal Measures
A separate historical episode offers context: a study published in CDC’s Emerging Infectious Diseases journal reported a Key Largo dengue outbreak from February through August 2020 and identified 72 locally acquired cases associated with the area. The study does not connect that outbreak—or the St. Petersburg tire shop—to the current case. Pinellas County said its dengue-related tire-disposal fee waiver was for residents and did not apply to businesses, according to the county.
Separating the Lawsuit From the Outbreak
The regional case figures provide context, but they do not establish that the St. Petersburg shop caused dengue transmission.
The city’s case against the shop centers on its contention that the business is a public health hazard; that remains an allegation, not an established finding that the shop caused dengue cases.
