If you live in Florida and search for information about tick-borne illness in your state, you'll run into something unusual: a near-total absence of publicly available data.
Lyme disease is a reportable condition in Florida. But as reporting from local news outlets has documented, the state health department's public-facing website doesn't list it — leaving Florida residents with almost no official information about tick-borne disease risk in their own state.
A Google search surfaces this explanation from the Florida Department of Health: Lyme disease "may appear absent or undercounted on public-facing reporting sites due to a reliance on 'passive surveillance,' where cases rely on voluntary reporting by providers, leading to significant undercounting."
The CDC's national data tells a different story about Florida's exposure. In 2023, Florida recorded 271 confirmed cases of Lyme disease out of 89,470 nationwide. That number almost certainly understates reality — but it confirms that tick-borne illness is happening in Florida, not just in the Northeast and Midwest where most people associate the risk.
Florida's Tick Landscape
Florida is home to two tick species that stand above the rest in terms of health risk, according to experts at the University of Florida's Emerging Pathogens Institute: the black-legged tick (deer tick), which is the primary carrier of Lyme disease, and the lone star tick.
The University of Miami Health System notes that while Lyme disease is less common in south Florida specifically, the black-legged tick that causes it is present throughout the state. "Because the condition is less common in Florida and its symptoms mimic those of other diseases, it's easy to overlook," the health system states.
The Florida Lyme Disease Association is more direct: "Doctors and patients are falsely told that there is 'no Lyme in Florida' or that it is extremely rare." The association argues that this downplaying of tick risk has real consequences — people are less likely to take precautions, and those who are infected are less likely to receive an early diagnosis.
The Lone Star Tick and Alpha-Gal Syndrome
Beyond Lyme disease, Florida residents also face exposure to the lone star tick, which carries its own serious risk: alpha-gal syndrome (AGS), a potentially life-threatening allergic reaction to red meat triggered by a tick bite. In 2024, a New Jersey pilot died after eating a hamburger while unknowingly carrying the condition — a reminder of just how serious an undiagnosed AGS case can become.
The lone star tick is widely distributed across the eastern and southeastern United States, including Florida, and its range is expanding as deer populations grow.
What Florida Residents Need to Know
The CDC is unambiguous on the national picture: tick bite-related emergency room visits are at their highest rate in nearly a decade, with the Southeast among the affected regions. "Tick season is here and these tiny biters can make you seriously sick," said Alison Hinckley, an epidemiologist and Lyme disease expert with the CDC's Division of Vector-Borne Diseases, in a recent news release. "The good news is you have options to help prevent tick bites when you spend time outdoors."
The key facts Florida residents should carry:
The black-legged tick that transmits Lyme disease is present throughout Florida, not just in the northern part of the state. Tick-borne illness is underreported in Florida due to passive surveillance — meaning cases that don't get diagnosed don't get counted. A tick typically needs to be attached for 36 to 48 hours to transmit Lyme disease bacteria, according to the CDC, but nymph-stage ticks — the primary transmitters — are the size of a poppy seed and their bites are painless, making them easy to miss entirely.
Every 36 hours you're unaware of an attached tick is 36 hours of increasing transmission risk. Rapid, correct removal is the most effective individual defense available.
How to Protect Yourself in Florida
The CDC recommends:
- Wearing EPA-registered insect repellent and permethrin-treated clothing when outdoors
- Wearing long sleeves and pants in wooded or grassy areas
- Doing a full tick check after any outdoor activity
- Removing any attached tick as soon as possible — within 24 hours significantly reduces Lyme disease transmission risk
- Monitoring for symptoms (fever, rash, fatigue, joint pain) in the 3 to 30 days following a tick bite
TiCK MiTT is the chemical-free, scientifically-developed tick removal tool built to make that last step fast, safe, and accessible for every family — no tweezers, no chemicals, safe for children and pets. In a state where the health data is hard to find and the risk is easy to underestimate, being prepared before you need it is what matters.
Available at Petco, Bass Pro Shops, and tickmitt.com.
Shop TiCK MiTT — Chemical-Free Tick Removal for Florida Families
Sources: Florida news reporting on state tick data; Florida Department of Health; Florida Lyme Disease Association; University of Miami Health System; University of Florida Emerging Pathogens Institute; CDC / Alison Hinckley; CDC national Lyme disease surveillance data (2023)
