The snails, which grow up to 8 inches (20 centimeters) long and have a distinctive swirled, brown-spotted shell, were confirmed by state agriculture officials in New Port Richey, Florida, on June 23. The Pasco County location is just north of the Tampa Bay area on the Gulf Coast. Florida has twice eradicated the snails elsewhere in the state, most recently a 10-year effort in Miami-Dade County that cost $23 million and ended in 2021 after collecting about 170,000 snails. Now they are making a comeback, likely the result of the illegal international trade in exotic pets or arriving hidden in shipments from overseas. “We will eliminate these snails. We’ve done it in the past and we’ll do it again,” Nikki Fried, commissioner of the Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, said at a news conference Thursday. The snails have been found in many parts of the world, including Hawaii and parts of the Caribbean, including Cuba, where an effort to get rid of the pests continues. Snails are known to eat 500 different types of plants, making them a major threat to agriculture, including peanuts, beans, cucumbers and melons. They will also eat plaster and stucco on buildings and even tree bark, and carry a parasite called rat lungworm that can cause meningitis in humans, according to the department. They can produce up to 1,200 eggs a year. “It’s one of the most noxious snails in the world,” said Fried, a Democrat who is also running for governor this year. A quarantine area has been set up in Pasco County where the snails were found, initially by a homeowner. Involved properties will be treated with molluscicide bait, and the snails will be collected by government officials with the help of dogs trained to sniff them out. Greg Hodges, assistant director of the state Department of Plant Industry, said it is illegal to import or possess giant African land snails in Florida without a permit. It is also illegal to move from a quarantined area, such as the one in Pasco County, or remove other material in the area, such as soil, yard waste or building materials without an agreement with the state. About 1,000 snails have already been collected in the quarantine area, Hodges said. He said anyone who spots a snail should not touch it, but call 888-397-1517 to report the find. Fried said people should definitely avoid snails, which are not the type found in escargot. “This is not something you want to touch. It’s not something you want to eat,” Fried said.
