On Aug. 18, 2026, registered voters within the City of Everglades City will decide whether the boundaries of the Collier Mosquito Control District should be expanded to include the City and allow the District to levy and collect ad valorem taxes and administer mosquito control services within the District’s expanded boundaries. The measure passes with a simple majority of votes cast.
Research for this post was compiled with assistance from Claude (Anthropic AI), drawing on internet-accessible public sources. All information was reviewed and verified by the author, who also obtained the resolution adopted by City Council through a public records request.
The Referendum
Below is the Referendum question as it will appear on the ballot:
REFERENDUM PROPOSING EXPANSION OF THE COLLIER MOSQUITO CONTROL DISTRICT BOUNDARIES
Should the boundaries of the Collier Mosquito Control District be expanded to include The City of Everglades City and allow the District to levy and collect ad valorem taxes and administer mosquito control services within the District’s expanded boundaries?
( ) YES.
( ) NO
About the Collier Mosquito Control District
The Collier Mosquito Control District is an independent special taxing district created in 1950 as the Naples Mosquito Control District, originally serving six square miles within the City of Naples. Its service area has since expanded tenfold and now covers 730 square miles in Collier County, home to more than 300,000 residents. The District’s charter, which may be amended only by a special act of the Florida Legislature, is governed by Chapter 388, Florida Statutes. A five-member Board of Commissioners, elected to nonpartisan, four-year terms, governs the District, sets its millage rate, approves its budget, and oversees the Executive Director and staff. (Collier Mosquito Control District; Chapter 388, Florida Statutes).
Background: How This Got on the Ballot
Everglades City has historically provided its own mosquito control services. In 2025, a surge in mosquito populations prompted the City to request emergency treatment assistance from the Collier Mosquito Control District, which the District provided. Mosquito activity intensified again in the spring of 2026: District field technicians reported counting more than 300 mosquitoes landing on a single person within two minutes, and the City’s own fogging truck was no longer operable after being damaged in hurricanes. Everglades City Mayor Howie Grimm Jr. asked the District for emergency spraying, with the county agreeing to fund it up to $50,000 at the June 9, 2026, county commission meeting. (Naples Press).
On that same day, June 9, 2026, the Everglades City Council adopted Resolution No. 2026-8, calling a special referendum for the Aug. 18, 2026, primary election. The resolution states that the City has received requests to join the Collier Mosquito Control District and that the City Council believes it is in the City’s best interest to let voters decide the question (City of Everglades City Resolution No. 2026-8, 6/9/26).
Because the Collier Mosquito Control District is an independent special district, its boundaries may only be changed by a special act of the Florida Legislature, not by City Council action, a District vote, or this referendum alone. This referendum is therefore a local vote of interest for the Legislature to consider, not the final step in the process. The District’s own recent history illustrates the typical timeline: its most recent boundary expansion was first approved by the qualified electors of the areas being added in a referendum held Aug. 23, 2022, and the Legislature did not enact the special act completing that expansion, chapter 2024-280, Laws of Florida, until nearly two years later, with an effective date of Oct. 1, 2024. A similar sequence would apply here: the District’s own expansion policy requires a feasibility study before any boundary expansion, consistent with F.S. § 388.211, and the Florida Legislature would then need to pass a special act amending the District’s charter before the boundary change and new taxing authority could take effect. (Collier Mosquito Control District, Board Policy #2019-02; F.S. § 388.211; Laws of Florida ch. 2024-280).
What This Would Do
If approved, this referendum would give Everglades City direction from its residents to begin pursuing inclusion in the Collier Mosquito Control District. It would not itself expand the District’s boundaries or grant it taxing authority; that requires a special act of the Legislature, as explained above. No estimate of the resulting tax cost to Everglades City property owners has been published.
Arguments in Favor
Proponents point to Everglades City’s ongoing mosquito problem as the immediate reason for the request. District field technicians documented an infestation severe enough that hundreds of mosquitoes were landing on individuals within minutes, and the City’s own spraying equipment is no longer functional. District officials told County Commissioners that aerial spraying would likely be the most effective response to conditions in the area and that time was of the essence. The Everglades City Council’s own resolution states that the City has received requests to join the District and that the Council believes it is in the City’s best interest to let voters decide. (Naples Press).
No separate published rationale document, such as a local bill summary prepared for the area’s legislative delegation, is currently available for this measure.
Arguments Against
No organized opposition to this referendum has been identified. In the county commission’s June 9, 2026, discussion of the broader mosquito surge, one commissioner noted that some residents in other areas have raised concerns about spraying’s effects on the local ecosystem, though not specific to this referendum. (Naples Press).
What a “Yes” Vote Means / What a “No” Vote Means
A “yes” vote means you support expanding the Collier Mosquito Control District’s boundaries to include Everglades City, a step that, pending a subsequent special act of the Florida Legislature, would authorize the District to levy and collect ad valorem taxes and provide mosquito control services within the City.
A “no” vote means you oppose that expansion, and Everglades City would continue to provide its own mosquito control services as it currently does.
Learn More
- Collier Mosquito Control District: official site, About the District
- Local leaders call for urgent action amid mosquito surge (Naples Press, 6/19/26)
- F.S. § 388.211, Change in district boundaries (The Florida Senate)
- Chapter 2024-280, Laws of Florida: the District’s most recent boundary-expansion special act, showing the referendum-then-Legislature sequence
- City of Everglades City, Resolution No. 2026-8 (adopted June 9, 2026): not published online; obtained from the Everglades City Clerk’s office.
- League of Women Voters vote411
Summary
Registered voters within the City of Everglades City will decide this measure on Aug. 18, 2026, with a simple majority of votes cast determining the outcome. I plan to update this post as new information becomes available.
