Key resident complains about raccoon problems

Weldon Frost likes the orange and mango trees that grow in the yard of his Emerald Harbor home. The problem is, so do raccoons. Frequently, they eat the fruit from the trees, leaving behind a mess with their scraps. And that’s not the only way Frost says the raccoons are a nuisance.

Recently, Frost repainted the roof of his house and had to remove a thick layer of manure. He hears them darting across his roof. He sees them scurrying in the Dumpsters behind local restaurants. During his walks through Joan M. Durante Park, he sees raccoon prints on the park’s trail, which he says increase in number every year.

“It’s time to get rid of the things,” Frost said. “We do not need raccoons on this island.”

Frost sent an e-mail Tuesday to Town Manager Bruce St. Denis outlining his concerns.

“It is time for the town to eliminate, eradicate, re-settle, remove, transport or export these creatures, who are both a nuisance and a menace,” Frost wrote. “They are a nuisance because of the messes they make, and the piles of manure they leave behind. They are a menace because of the diseases they carry — not necessarily limited to rabies.”

But St. Denis said that animal-control services are provided by counties (Manatee County, in Frost’s case) and are not a town operation. St. Denis wrote in an e-mail response to Frost that Manatee County does not trap and/or relocate raccoons and that such animal complaint calls are referred to Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, which typically doesn’t get involved unless an animal is injured.

“It’s passing the buck into another government agency,” Frost said.

Frost cites the Longboat Key Town Commission’s decision to award $2,400 to the Longbeach Village Association for peacock removal as an example of the town getting involved in animal-control matters. But St. Denis said that the money was awarded after Village residents approached the commission — something any resident can do.

“I have already approached the town by virtue of my e-mail and suggested that they initiate a program to remove the rascals,” Frost said.

Contact Robin Hartill at [email protected].