Florida once again has a giant African land snail problem

Giant African land snails — seen here in 2019 — have been spotted recently in three counties in Florida, spurring state officials to enact quarantines and eradication efforts against the invasive pests. (Ismael Francisco/AP)

Giant African land snails are back in Florida, spurring intensive efforts to destroy the invasive mollusks before they spread and wreak agricultural and environmental destruction.

After one of the large brown snails was spotted earlier this month north of Miami, the state has declared a quarantine and treatment area over a few square miles in the Broward County city of Miramar. The quarantine joins two others already underway in the state: one in Lee County, which is home to Fort Myers, and one in Pasco County, north of Tampa.