The Municipal Service District (MSD) of Ponte Vedra Beach held their monthly meeting on Monday, Feb. 9, at Our Lady Star of the Sea Catholic Church.
A representative from Florida Waterways Inc. opened the meeting with a presentation on aquatic midges. Many of the lagoons throughout the MSD are experiencing midge fly swarms, and the representative from Florida Waterways shed some light on why this is happening. Some of these lagoons are at least 50 years old and therefore have a buildup of nutrients. Every time it rains, nutrients from people’s yards wash into the lagoon and over time it has built up on the bottom. The lagoon floors have become an ideal environment for midge propagation.
The representative mentioned different management strategies for the midges, including a pesticide called BTI.
BTI is a bacteria that is applied to the surface of the pond. When the midges eat the bacteria, it will crystallize inside them and they will die. This is the most commonly used method to manage midge fly swarms, but there are also some practical ways community members can help alleviate the problem.
Midge flies are attracted to high intensity lights, so having lower intensity lighting around the outside of your home would help.
Jim Shields also spoke at the meeting, and announced that his annual Big Bang 5K would take place in June at Christ Episcopal Church on San Juan Drive.
Emmitte Griggs, homeowners’ association (HOA) president of Pointe 1 at The Pointe at Ponte Vedra, spoke about the pedestrian bridge at the south end of The Pointe. The bridge has been there since the 1940s and in 2016 was severely damaged by a hurricane. It has fallen into serious disrepair and is in need of a rebuild.
Since The Pointe has full ownership of the bridge, it is the responsibility of the residents to maintain it.
Griggs asked the MSD board if they would consider contributing to the rebuild project, and it will be a topic of discussion at the next meeting on March 9.
