NEW PORT RICHEY, Fla. (WFTS) — Anjie Armstrong takes great pride in the natural beauty and makeup of her front and back yards.
"We have a natural pollinators garden that we are working on to get certified. So within this area, we have native plants. We have pollinators. We have the wasps and the bees, and though the moss, and I mean all the different insects you know, on top of that, you look around, and just by seeing the amount of mushrooms growing in my yard, that is a strong indication of how healthy this soil is," she said as she showed off her backyard.
"I utilize this whole yard as essentially a classroom for my home school boys. We come out here and we draw the native plants, and we research them and find out the beneficial properties," she added.
So when the USDA and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services came knocking on her door, she didn't have to think hard about the answer to their question.
"Every time that they came, in the beginning, you know, they asked for my consent to treat the property with the chemicals that they wanted to use. And I told them I didn't want the chemicals. I'm completely okay with them searching the property and let me know if you find it, but I didn't want the chemicals used," she said.
Those chemicals would kill Giant African Land Snails.
The snails pose a serious health risk to humans by carrying the parasite rat lungworm, known to cause meningitis in humans.
On June 23, 2022, the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) confirmed the detection of giant African land snails in the New Port Richey area of Pasco County, which was reported by a Pasco County Master Gardener.
In June 2022, FDACS's Division of Plant Industry began to survey the area, enacted a quarantine, and started the treatment process to eradicate this detrimental agricultural pest.
Armstrong's home falls within the quarantined area.
"I chose to exercise my right and say 'No, thank you'. And so they just kind of kept coming over and over again. And each time they came, there was more people with them, or we'll say people in more of an official capacity, that they started bringing with them, until it to the point where they showed up with Pasco County Sheriff's Department to issue the agricultural warrant," Armstrong recalled.
The warrant explained that because there's a fair probability the snail exists at the Armstrong home and because the Giant African Land Snail is designated a plant pest under Florida law and may not be lawfully possessed in Florida.
"My concern now is going to be long-term effects when these chemicals get into the soil. Well, we know that that has a direct effect on plants. So plants, then again, because this is a whole domino effect, plants, the birds, the animals, they eat, the plants. So now this is going into them," she said.
Armstrong's front yard was sprayed after the warrant. She also discovered it must be sprayed 18 more times every two weeks.
"My biggest reason for putting my story out was just to inform other residents, because as landowners, you feel like you have certain rights, and you would think that I have a right to say no to poisoning my land, and we're new, first time homeowners, so we have this general concept of what our rights are. But unfortunately, it was proven to me, through this whole situation that some rights can easily just be taken away if the government decides that they just want to come want to come do this to your property," she added.
The giant African land snail has been eradicated twice in Florida. The first detection was in 1969, and it was eradicated in 1975. According to FDACS, the most recent eradication of this pest was in 2021 after it was detected in 2011 in Miami-Dade County.
There are currently three quarantine areas throughout Florida. These quarantines are in Broward, Lee, and Pasco counties.
The snails detected in Pasco County have light to dark brown shells with milky white flesh. The lighter-fleshed snails are sometimes referred to as “albino GALS” and are more desirable in the illegal pet trade.
ABC Action News reporter Jada Williams contacted Florida Gulf Coast University Assistant Professor Christina Anaya to obtain even more information on the snails.
"You certainly don't want it around your garden areas because it's the slime that can carry the rat lungworm in there. So if it gets on your vegetables, you want to be able to. You want to wash those thoroughly or not use those at all," Anaya said.
She said the quarantine method is to try to stop the snails from moving into more areas.
"One of the reasons the Giant African Land Snail does so well as an invasive species where it invades is because they are a generalist. That means they use several, even hundreds of different kinds of plants that they can survive on," Anaya added. "And local species tend to be much more restricted."
Giant African Land Snails can eat more than 500 different types of plants, making it easier for them to survive. They can grow up to 8 inches, but in their younger stage, could be the size of any other snail. It's recommended to use gloves if you touch one.
It is unlawful to move the giant African land snail or a regulated article, including, but not limited to, plants, plant parts, plants in soil, soil, yard waste, debris, compost or building materials, within, through or from a quarantine area without a compliance agreement.
To obtain a compliance agreement, call 1-888-397-1517 or email DPIHelpline@FDACS.gov.
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