DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. — On Wednesday, Daytona Beach city commissioners are expected to approve a resolution that would allow a pest control company to remove bats from the Daytona Beach Municipal Stadium.

The resolution would waive the purchasing code for ProQuest, a pest control company in Volusia County, to remove the protected animals from the stadium.

ProQuest was selected out of three vendors that put in a bid for the contract. 

What You Need To Know

  • Daytona Beach city commissioners voting to remove bats from its municipal stadium just days before the start of bat maternity season

  • City officials will have until April 15 to legally exclude the bats, or else, they will have to wait until after Aug. 14 to do so

  • If approved, the city will pay $26,267 to have the bats removed

  • Watch the 6 p.m. city commission meeting live here

The venue is home to Bethune-Cookman University’s Wildcats football team and seats up to 10,000 visitors.

Officials have a little more than 10 days to remove the animals before bat maternity season begins on April 16. This is when bats give birth and raise their young.

According to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, it is illegal to block bats from their roosts during bat maternity season, and it is illegal to kill them at any time.

The last day to “legally exclude” bats from homes or public structures without a permit is April 15.

Bat maternity season ends on Aug. 14. 

The pest control company that would be responsible for removing the bats, ProQuest, is being asked to target the area above the concession stands, which includes 31 rows of bleachers.

Officials say there have been bat droppings found on the property. They say the droppings not only cause unpleasant odors, but they can also lead to respiratory illnesses.

While bats are known to carry diseases like rabies and histoplasmosis that can be harmful to humans, they are generally considered to be beneficial to Florida's ecology.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission goes as far as calling them "nature's superheroes."

"Bats provide major ecological and economic benefits," an FWC fact sheet says. "One bat can consume hundreds of insects a night. Bats save U.S. farmers billions of dollars annually by controlling insects that damage crops and spread disease among livestock."

If approved, the city will pay more than $26,000 to safely and legally exclude the bats.

The removal process is expected to take between five to seven days.

Daytona Beach Agenda Summary 0402 by Anthony Leone on Scribd