3 April 3-9, 2025 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times | Contents | Letters | news | night+Day | CuLture | Cafe | MusiC | MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2008 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES | CONTENTS | LETTERS | RIPTIDE | METRO | NIGHT+DAY | STAGE | ART | FILM | CAFE | MUSIC | ▼ MIAMI BEACH THERE WILL BE BLOOD ARE MIAMI BEACH’S TAXPAYER- FUNDED IGUANA PATROLS KILLING HUMANELY? BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN F or a few years now, Miami Beach officials say, invasive iguanas have wreaked havoc throughout the community, destroying sea walls and infrastructure. In an attempt to thin the reptile population in the barrier island municipality, in 2022 city officials resolved to institute an “iguana reme- diation program” with a $435,000 annual bud- get to “humanely” remove — which is to say kill, then dispose of — the cold-blooded rep- tiles from public property in South Beach, Mid-Beach, and North Beach. The resolution budgeted $70 per removed iguana, noting that the retail rate was $100. Ac- cording to a city spokesperson, more than 10,000 iguanas have been “remediated” to date. But in a recent Facebook post, an onlooker pointedly questioned what constitutes “hu- mane” when it comes to iguana removal. On Thursday, March 20, a woman posted photos of one of the city’s contractors as he shot a small iguana out of a tree, then stuffed the wounded creature into a bag. “The vile iguana killing operation is back,” Christine King, a jewelry vendor who oper- ates a stand in Miami Beach, wrote. “Today the baby iguana splattered a tourist when fall- ing from the tree after being shot. The guy then picked it up STILL ALIVE and stuffed it in a trash bag, so it can now suffocate while bleeding out. I had to help the tourist clean up the blood from her arm and shoes. She was naturally disgusted and said, ‘This is inhu- mane.’ Please stop this!!!” King tells New Times that the incident was “really disturbing.” She says the contractor, who appears to work for the Iguana Control company, shot at the reptile several times be- fore falling to the pavement and was wrig- gling when the worker put it in the bag. “This guy didn’t give a damn that the iguana he just shot splattered on the tourist,” King adds. “He just walked away. Meanwhile, she was like, ‘My God, what just happened to me?’” What Constitutes Humane Removal of an Iguana? On its website, the Florida Fish and Wild- life and Conservation Commission (FWC) calls for a two-step process for humanely dis- patching nonnative reptiles. “Step 1: Your method should result in the animal losing consciousness immediately. Step 2: You should then destroy the animal’s brain by ‘pithing,’ which prevents the animal from regaining consciousness.” To achieve the first objective, the FWC recommends the use of a firearm, air gun, or captive bolt (a device commonly used in slaughterhouses). As for pithing, instructions call for inserting “a small rod (a rigid metal tool like a screwdriver, spike, or pick) into the cranial cavity using deliberate, multi-direc- tional movement, ensuring destruction of the entire brain.” “Nonnative reptiles are not protected in Florida except by anti-cruelty law,” FWC’s website notes. “There is an ethical and legal obligation to ensure nonnative reptiles are killed in a humane manner.” Linda-Lee Stevens, the assistant director at the city’s marketing and communications office, tells New Times in an email that the city is aware of the post and addressed the in- cident with the contractor. “In accordance with a 2022 city commis- sion resolution prioritizing the removal of in- vasive iguanas, the city administration authorized several iguana remediation firms to remove the invasive species from a rotat- ing list of city-owned parks and green spaces,” she writes. Under their contracts with the city, Stevens adds, the firms are obligated to follow FWC recommendations for humane euthanasia. | RIPTIDE | GET MORE NEWS & COMMENTARY AT MIAMINEWTIMES.COM/NEWS Not sure a blood-spattering iguana killing would be considered humane! Photo by Dr. Steve A. Johnson ▼ FLORIDA FLUORIDE, DUH WHY WON’T THE STATE’S UNIVERSITY PROFS DISCUSS WATER FLUORIDATION? BY NAOMI FEINSTEIN F or more than half a century, scientists supported the revolutionary move to flu- oridate water for oral and public health. Opponents to the practice were primarily viewed as fringe and small contingency. But, the anti-fluoride movement has seen new life, partic- ularly with Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo and a few obscure scientific studies that have come out claiming that fluoride is danger- ous to children’s brain development. In the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s win in November, Ladapo and the Florida De- partment of Health launched a campaign to urge local governments to stop fluoridating their wa- ter supplies. They claim the naturally occurring mineral is a danger to children and their IQ levels. Ladapo has traveled across the state to convince municipalities to end their community water flu- oridation practices. As communities debate community water fluoridation and possibly end the practice, local officials are left to decide based on information presented by two sides: anti-fluoride Ladapo and the medical freedom activists versus pro- fluoride dentists. To better understand the consequences to public health if fluoride is removed from commu- nity water supplies, New Times wanted to speak with experts from universities across the state, particularly those with dental schools or colleges of public health. However, it appears universities are reluctant to permit their experts to enter the fluoride de- bate as Gov. Ron DeSantis and his administration push to end the public health practice across the Sunshine State. Here is how a handful of colleges responded to New Times’ inquiries for interview requests with faculty about fluoride. University of Florida: After New Times scrolled UF’s “Find An Expert” page for journalists and attempted to connect with faculty members from the College of Dentistry, a university spokes- person referred New Times to the Florida Dental Association, the American Dental Association, and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. “We’ve been referring media to several sources in the state and nationally that are pre- pared to speak on this topic from a dental health perspective, if that is what you are looking for,” Karen Rhodenizer, director of communications at UF’s College of Dentistry, told New Times. It is worth noting that Ladapo is a professor of medicine at the university. As DeSantis appointed him to the state surgeon general, the university’s College of Medicine put him on a tenured fast track. Additionally, his partner-in- crime in his crusade to end community water fluoridation is none other than UF epidemiology professor Ashley Malin, a fierce anti-fluoride researcher who spearheaded a controversial study that found high fluoride levels in pregnant women were linked to their children having neurobehavioral problems. Florida International University: In an email, Stephanie Rendon, director of marketing and communications at FIU’s Robert Stempel College of Public Health & Social Work, wrote, “We don’t have an expert who could speak on this topic.” University of Central Florida: Notwithstand- ing its College of Health Professions and Sci- ences, UCF could not connect New Times with a public health expert. “We don’t have anyone available to assist with your request,” Chad Binette, assistant vice president of communi- cations, said. “Good luck with your story.” Nova Southeastern University: Initially, the private university agreed to let New Times speak with fluoride expert Maiko Suzuki, an associate professor in the Department of Oral Science and Translational Research at NSU’s College of Dental Medicine. However, after Suzuki emailed comments about fluoride’s benefits, associate public rela- tions director Irvin Harrell requested that New Times not use the professor’s thoughts, per NSU’s general counsel. “My apologies, but I just spoke to our dean, and he says that under legal guidance that NSU would prefer not to be quoted for this story,” Harrell said. “We appreciate your flexibility and remain open to other opportunities in the future for stories you may be working on.” University of South Florida: USF agreed to let New Times speak with Sten Vermund, senior associate vice president of USF Health and dean of the university’s College of Public Health. “Fluoride supplementation has been known for 60 years to reduce dental carries so this why both dentists and public health people and pedi- atricians are keen on fluoridated water,” Ver- mund tells New Times. However, given the mixed research showing that fluoride could impact IQ levels, he says there needs to be more “people in the middle objec- tively assessing the evidence to help communi- ties make informed decisions.” He notes that the issue has become too partisan and political, fo- cused on agendas. “I would like local governments to reach out and try to obtain technically proficient experts to help make these judgments,” Vermund adds. “I don’t think that some of the counties have all the information in front of them, and we are making decisions that are somewhat politicized in a way that we like public health not to be politicized. “We would like public health to be objective and based on evidence and if we have evidence helping drive these decisions, people will be very much reassured that we’re doing the best deci- sion for the most number of people.” Editor’s note: Florida Atlantic University and the University of Miami did not respond to New Times’ interview requests. [email protected] “WE WOULD LIKE PUBLIC HEALTH TO BE OBJECTIVE AND BASED ON EVIDENCE.”
