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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 24, 2002
2 more contract West Nile
TALLAHASSEE -- Residents of Escambia and Lee counties have contracted West Nile virus, bringing to 15 the number of people in Florida who've gotten the mosquito-borne disease this year.
The Department of Health said a 37-year-old in Escambia County and a 73-year-old Lee County resident caught the disease. It didn't release names or other details.
It's Escambia's sixth case.
As of Wednesday, more than 3,200 people nationwide had contracted West Nile this year, and 182 have died, none in Florida.
OCALA -- Off-road enthusiasts will lose access to 7,000 acres of the Ocala National Forest starting Nov. 4, in an effort to prevent further damage by the vehicles.
Wildlife, vegetation and other delicate resources have been damaged by the new trails continually created by off-road users in the Lake Delancy and Paisley Woods areas, forest officials said.