Manatee County issues burn ban due to drought conditions
BRADENTON, Fla. - A burn ban is now in effect for Manatee County.
The Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) held an emergency meeting on Monday morning and voted to impose a burn ban because of hot, dry weather in the county.
All outdoor burning and the use and discharge of fireworks and sparklers in the county is banned until 11:59 p.m. on June 10, 2024, unless it's extended.
According to county officials, the ban includes items containing any "explosive compound," sparklers, any item or product using or containing any amount of pyrotechnic composition, flares, open burning and campfires.
RELATED: Pasco County issues burn ban as dry weather continues
"We’ve been in discussion with the Fire Chief’s Association, as well as the Department of Forestry, in regard to the current drought conditions throughout the county," said Manatee County Director of Public Safety Jodie Fiske in a press release. "It is recommended that we declare a burn ban within Manatee County."
The following uses will be allowed, according to authorities:
- Outdoor cookers or grills if they are always attended by a responsible adult while the unit is in use
- Any agricultural, silvicultural or land-clearing burn that has been authorized by the Florida Forest Service and it has been determined that there will be sufficient fire suppression equipment and personnel on site
- Properly permitted public fireworks displays with adequate fire suppression equipment and personnel on site
- Flares discharged over the Gulf of Mexico
Highlands, Pasco, Polk, and Sarasota counties have also imposed burn bans.
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