Justin Story, a Republican candidate running for Congress in Florida’s 9th District, issued an official statement addressing state and federal operations to block the spread of the New World Screwworm.
The parasite, which was largely eradicated from the U.S. in the 1960s, has seen recent detections in Texas and New Mexico, sparking concern for Florida’s livestock and agricultural sectors.
Story voiced support for Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, pointing to the state’s immediate execution of emergency containment plans.
“I commend Governor Ron DeSantis and Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson for their decisive, proactive leadership in response to the New World Screwworm detections in Texas and New Mexico,” Story said. He noted that the state’s restrictions on importing warm-blooded animals from high-risk areas—alongside mandated veterinary checkups and animal movement limits—are actively working to safeguard Florida from the parasite.
At the federal level, Story credited President Donald Trump and U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins for launching the “New World Screwworm Grand Challenge,” an initiative focused on accelerating sterile fly production and containment spending. Story stated that the USDA under the current administration is treating the outbreak “as the national security and agricultural security priority it is, pushing back hard against the threat while holding previous weak border policies accountable.”
The congressional candidate linked the parasitic outbreak directly to the country’s border infrastructure, arguing that gaps in current screening systems permit pests and foreign animal diseases to cross into domestic agricultural zones.
“This threat highlights the urgent need for strong border security,” Story stated. “Weak borders and insufficient inspections allow pests, diseases, and other risks to enter our country too easily. We must secure the southern border, enhance agricultural screenings, and prevent these threats from reaching the farms and ranches of Florida’s 9th Congressional District.”
Story pledged that, if elected to Congress, he will push for absolute federal backing of USDA APHIS sterile insect programs, heightened biological surveillance, and rapid-response funding designed specifically for agricultural regions.
The 9th Congressional District covers critical farming and ranching communities across Orange, Okeechobee, Highlands, Glades, Indian River, Polk, and Osceola counties. Story closed his statement with a direct message to the district’s agricultural workers, recognizing the combined impact of rapid commercial development, regulatory hurdles, and biological threats.
“In today’s crazy world, our farmers and ranchers face more risks than ever before,” Story said. “Pressures from developers, ever-growing bureaucratic red tape, and now a pest that was eradicated in the 1960s, the New World Screwworm, are making the agriculture way of life harder and harder to sustain.” He concluded by promising to advocate for regional interests in Washington: “As the candidate for Congress representing the heart of Florida’s beef production, I will fight in Washington to preserve our way of life. I look forward to serving you in Congress. Thank you for keeping us fed.”
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