Florida Has 3 Of The Most Rat Infested Cities In The Country

Let me start of by saying that no where in Florida is nearly as bad as Chicago. That city is on top of Orkin’s Top 50 Rat Infested Cities List for the ninth year in a row. I witnessed this first hand while staying at a hotel in downtown Chicago. We were several floors up and our view overlooked an alley. We noticed a dog poking around the dumpsters. A dog with a very long tail. Once it got closer to the light we realized it was the biggest rat you could image. Florida can't begin to come close to the rats they have in Chicago.

Orkin ranked metro regions by the number of new rodent treatments performed from Sept.1, 2022, to Aug. 31, 2023. This ranking includes both residential and commercial pest control treatments. Pretty efficient way of measuring the problems.

After Chicago comes another rat haven that I'm familiar with. Los Angeles. In the latest rankings, Los Angles has now overtaken New York for the second spot. Congratulations?

After New York at 3, comes Washington DC at 4, and San Francisco at 5.

There are rats in Florida, however the 3 Florida cities that made the list are much further down. Our rat problems aren't nearly as bad as the cities on top the list. Additionally, one thing to note, of the 3 Florida cities that made the list, all moved up in the rankings over the previous year. So our rat problem seems to be growing.

If you don't believe there's rats in Southwest Florida, plant a mango tree in your yard. They'll find you.

Miami is the rattiest city in Florida, ranking number 19 on the list nationally. That's up from 20th place last year. I've never personally seen a rat in Miami, but I also stick to the nicer parts of town when I'm there.

Tampa jumped 5 spots in this year's rankings, coming in at number 36 nationally. Unlike Miami, I have personally witnessed rats around dumpsters at an apartment complex in Tampa. That's why you don't take your trash out at night. Also, what's the meaning behind throwing rats on the hockey rink?

Not sure why they lumped Orlando and Daytona Beach together to put them at number 37 on the list. This pairing is up 12 spots since last year's rankings. If there's a rat problem in Orlando, I don't see it. It always seemed to me that the city was pretty clean. Except for that one rat over in Disney, but I hear he's quite the cook.