According to Florida-based Northwest Exterminating, rats can be attracted to places that are “dirty” or cluttered since they search out left-out food and spills. Rats are reportedly not very picky and will eat all types of items that are edible. This may be why one of Florida’s cities – Miami – has been named both its dirtiest and one of its most rat-infested.
What Makes Up A “Dirty” City, According to Lawnstarter: In the summer of 2024, the lawn company Lawnstarter ranked the “dirtiest” cities in America. To do so, it looked at metrics like air pollution, water quality, waste management, and resident satisfaction levels.
Florida’s “dirtiest” city was Miami, which was ranked as the 20th “dirty” city in America. Miami ranked most poorly for resident dissatisfaction.
And there has been some reporting about sanitation issues in Miami. In July of 2023, The New York Post reported that several of Miami’s landfills were projected to run out of room in 2026.
Other Florida cities that ranked relatively highly on the list were Coral Springs, Hollywood, and West Palm Beach.