Lee County Mosquito Control hopes to use Pine Island airport to help fight mosquitoes

A new helicopter will make fighting mosquitoes a lot easier.

“It will speed up what we can do,” said Dave Latt, a pilot. “We can kill mosquitoes and mosquito larva faster and that benefits everyone in Lee County.”

Lee County Mosquito Control District hopes to house a couple of them at the Woodstock Airport on Pine Island, a debate that has been ongoing.

“It’s really a legal issue of whether that is a property we can legally use. We feel that it is,” said Eric Jackson with Lee County Mosquito Control.

But the community of Pine Island disagrees.

Paul Blalukus lives within 400 feet of the airport and says he was blindsided when Lee County Mosquito Control District got the go-ahead to buy the Woodstock Airport without rezoning the land.

Now, he’s afraid helicopters coming and going will disrupt the quiet neighborhood and wildlife, while Mosquito Control just wants to make their operations more efficient.

“We control 70 percent of the county, of salt marsh mosquito control within that area, plus there are existing structures there so less impact if we were to move somewhere else or build buildings in other places. This is set for us,” Jackson said.

A judge asked both the district and residents to submit their arguments on the issue by Friday. The district continues to push for usage of the airport, while Pine Island homeowners remain opposed.