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‘A huge swarm:’ Flies infest Conway community, neighbors beg for Orange County for help

Neighbors blame broken trash bins and scaled-back trash schedule

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. – Jamie Hyman, an Orange County resident in the Conway community, is beyond frustrated about the excessive fly issue in her area.

So are many of her other neighbors.

“Everyone in our local community, everyone on Conway is having this fly issue. It’s in our Facebook groups,” Hyman said.

Neighbors said maggots and flies are infiltrating the neighborhood.

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When Hyman opens her trash cart at the end of the week, dozens of flies rush out.

“You literally have to flip it open and walk away because it’s a big swarm. It’s a huge swarm of flies,” Hyman said.

She said this has been a problem for at least two years, but it has escalated in the past couple of months.

“This is probably the worst it (has) ever been this year,” Hyman said.

Other neighbors in her community blame damaged trash cans for attracting so many flies.

Hyman said the Orange County waste department is at fault for decreasing trash collection from twice a week to only once a week. She was told that is due to a tax cut.

Hyman has been trying to get results for her community by calling county officials and even the Department of Health in Orange County.

“Customer service told us that we just need to close our trash can. Well, they’re always closed. They just make excuse after excuse,” Hyman said.

She said the health department suggested she call an exterminator, who eventually inspected the area for dead animals, which the exterminator did not find.

“I think we’ve climbed the ladder with the Department of Health, and they don’t even think this is a problem, so I’m not too sure what to do at this point. Hence, why we got you guys involved,” Hyman said.

For now, Hyman will continue using fly traps, which she said can hold about 2,000 flies. The problem is that the bag leaves an unignorable stench.

“The smell is the most rancid smell you’ll ever smell in your entire life. I have never smelled anything so bad,” Hyman said.

News 6 reached out to the Department of Health in Orange County to ask whether it is taking any steps to address and resolve this issue.

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