Latest state drought index data indicate action appropriate
The burn ban issued that the Sarasota County Fire Department issued late last year, which prohibited unpermitted open burns across the county, was lifted as of March 4, the Fire Department announced.
The decision came as the Keetch-Bryam Drought Index “fell below 500 for seven consecutive days, reducing the wildfire threat in Sarasota County,” a county news release explained.
As of March 3, that index put the county’s mean drought index value at 474, with 369 as the minimum and 548 as the maximum, as shown on webpages maintained by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
As those webpages explain, “The Keetch-Byram drought index (KBDI) is a continuous reference scale for estimating the dryness of the soil and duff layers. The index increases for each day without rain (the amount of increase depends on the daily high temperature) and decreases when it rains. The scale ranges from 0 (no moisture deficit) to 800. The range of the index is determined by assuming that there is 8 inches of moisture in a saturated soil that is readily available to the vegetation.”
“Initially enacted on Dec. 28, 2024, the ban automatically took effect when the KBDI for Sarasota County reached 500,” in accord with Section 58-2 of the Sarasota County Code, the March 4 news release noted.
“Sarasota County Fire Department officials will continue to monitor conditions,” the release added. “Residents are reminded to take precautions to protect themselves from fire danger and follow local open burning ordinance rules and regulations as outlined in Sarasota County Code Section 54-116.”
For more information and tips on protecting property from wildfires, the release said, visit scgov.net/fire.