July 2026 – A dangerous specter haunts the streets of Florida, acting with the arrogance of one who knows he owns the land, shielded by the shortcomings caused by the energy blockade imposed by the United States government, the lack of internal options or alternatives to stop it, and the low public awareness of the accompanying environmental and health risks.
This monstrosity we’re talking about blatantly defies hygiene, sanitation, and epidemiological regulations, a result of public indiscipline in fostering the phenomenon that gives it life, and the government’s inertia in confronting it.
To put it bluntly, I’m referring to the trash and debris washed down by the rains every time a downpour occurs, causing flooding in low-lying areas and city streets, with sewage, filth, and waste seeping into homes and other family spaces where children, the elderly, and sick people live.
The accumulation of small, illegal dumpsites along canals and other natural drainage channels poses a danger that could trigger an infectious outbreak or a large-scale public health emergency at any moment if this threat is not addressed.
Animal manure, human feces in nylon bags, the remains of dead and decomposing dogs and other animals, rotten food, and much more float through the city’s waterways during rain-induced floods, leaving a trail of filth, danger, and lack of hygiene everywhere.
What is alarming, and most painful, is that some of us here see this phenomenon as normal, without it prompting alarm and denunciation from the Public Health system, extreme concern from the authorities, or condemnation from the public itself against those who encourage or allow these illegal dumpsites in places where rainwater runoff should flow freely.
To be honest, it’s often those affected by the floods themselves who create or allow the formation of garbage dumps, which then end up at their doorsteps due to overflowing streams, ditches, and alleyways.
Consequently, we all share the responsibility if we want to prevent disease in the current situation.
Some will ask what to do with the solid waste. The smartest answer is to move it, at least, to higher ground outside the city center, where disease and death cannot travel with the rainwater runoff like harbingers of the apocalypse, ready to endanger the health and well-being of families in the municipality of Florida.
The warning has been issued: let’s hope we don’t have to regret not heeding it, and even worse, not acting in time.
