Ticks and Politics in South Florida

In the first half of the twentieth century, the United States Department of Agriculture went to war against the Cattle Fever Tick, a disease carrier causing great economic loss to the southeastern cattle industry. Led by its Bureau of Animal Industry, and various state agricultural agencies, the Department of Agriculture created a tick-killing tsunami that swept across the states of the Old Confederacy and laid waste to the tick. The tactics were heavy-handed and very expensive but...
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In the first half of the twentieth century, the United States Department of Agriculture went to war against the Cattle Fever Tick, a disease carrier causing great economic loss to the southeastern cattle industry. Led by its Bureau of Animal Industry, and various state agricultural agencies, the Department of Agriculture created a tick-killing tsunami that swept across the states of the Old Confederacy and laid waste to the tick. The tactics were heavy-handed and very expensive but ultimately successful.The last section to be treated, peninsular Florida, was also the most troublesome. The ticks in south Florida proved to be more resilient, resisting the techniques that had rid the other Southern states of the pest. Another host besides cattle was found. Also, one group of people in one area of south Florida refused to cooperate with the campaign: the Seminole Indians on the Big Cypress Indian Reservation.