‘I see about 30 rats’: Huge rodent nest rattles riders at Florida bus stop
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Waiting for the city bus near Hillsborough and Florida Avenue in Tampa has become a frightening experience for some. Riders have nicknamed the area “Ratopia” and “Ratlantis” due to a rodent issue.
Lavonnte Jerry regularly commutes along Route 34 and tells WFLA he uses the bus stop to pick up his daughter from school and his wife from work.
And when he waits for the bus, he’s often met with rodents.
“I see about 30 to 40, 50, rats out here all the time,” Jerry said. “It is nasty because you know, they be coming out here while kids be out here and people be out here eating food and they just be running past you, it just looks horrible out here.”
The rodents can be seen scurrying around a massive pyramid-like burrow at the bus stop. Crews from WFLA spotted some of the reported activity while at “Ratopia” on Tuesday.
Orkin releases list of ‘rattiest cities’ in the US
Riders also told WFLA that others have been feeding the rats, which may only be attracting more to “Ratlantis.”
The City of Tampa sent a pest control company to the area. WFLA watched them set up traps near the burrows.
Tampa recently landed on the list of the rattiest cities in the U.S., albeit at No. 36, coming in behind Nashville, Kansas City, and Sacramento.
“Rodents multiply swiftly and when an infestation is left unattended, they can cause extensive damage to homes and yards,” Ben Hottel, an Orkin entomologist, said in a news release announcing the company’s 2023 list of the rattiest cities. “Rats are capable of squeezing into spaces through holes as small as a quarter, which makes it especially important to seal cracks from the outside.”
Rats can also carry diseases including hantavirus, leptospirosis and even monkeypox, according to the CDC.
KTLA’s Marc Sternfield and Nexstar’s Michael Bartiromo contributed to this report.
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