Hillsborough County extends dengue state of local emergency to Nov. 5
County crews are stepping up air and ground mosquito treatments after surveillance found dengue virus in mosquitoes in many neighborhoods.
TAMPA - Hillsborough County's state of local emergency over dengue fever will stay in place until at least Nov. 5 after County Administrator Bonnie Wise signed an executive order extending it, the county said in an Oct. 29 news release.
Dengue is a viral infection that is transmitted to humans through the bite of infected mosquitoes.
Under Florida law and the county's emergency management ordinance, a local emergency lasts only seven days unless it is extended or rescinded. It is the county's fifth extension since early October. The county says the declaration lets the administrator and emergency managers act quickly and opens a path to reimbursement of certain expenses.
Mosquito Management crews are increasing treatments by air and on the ground because the county's surveillance is finding dengue virus in mosquitoes in many neighborhoods, the release says. The county is working with the Florida Department of Health in Hillsborough County.
The county urges residents to protect themselves from bites and to empty standing water on their property after recent heavy rains. Residents can sign up for notices of neighborhood aerial treatments and view a treatment map and FAQs on the county's mosquito operations page, or call Mosquito Management Services at (813) 635-5400.
The University of South Florida, which is helping officials map likely mosquito breeding sites, said in an Oct. 29 announcement that the county faces its largest dengue outbreak on record, with more than 350 locally acquired cases this year.
Source: Hillsborough County news release, "Dengue Fever Prompts Hillsborough to Extend State of Local Emergency - October 29, 2026" (posted Oct. 29, 2026); USF News, "USF combines AI-powered mapping and community outreach to fight dengue" (Oct. 29, 2026). Both read Oct. 30, 2026.