Florida is famous for its beaches, rivers and warm weather — not antibiotic-resistant bacteria. But a silent crisis is slowly emerging in our local waterways and if we don’t act now, we could be facing a public health nightmare.
Recent studies have found antibiotic-resistant bacteria in multiple Florida rivers and coastal waters. These “superbugs” aren’t just science fiction; they’re real, they’re growing and they’re fueled by two things Jacksonville can control — wastewater discharge and agricultural runoff.
When antibiotics are overused in agriculture or flushed from homes and hospitals, traces of those drugs end up in wastewater. If treatment plants aren’t equipped to fully remove them and many aren’t, those antibiotics flow right into our rivers. Bacteria exposed to small amounts of antibiotics can evolve resistance, eventually becoming strains that no medication can treat…