Sarasota County

Burn ban put into effect because of local drought conditions, Fire Department announces

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Public urged to take precautions

This image of the Sarasota County Water Atlas’ rainfall amounts for the county shows the figures for the 31 days through late morning of Oct. 13. Image courtesy Sarasota County

On Saturday, Oct. 11, the Sarasota County Fore Department announced that a burn ban is in effect for Sarasota County because of “local drought conditions and an increased chance of fire hazards.”

“Under Sarasota County’s burn ban ordinance (Sarasota County Code Section 58-2), burn bans automatically go into effect countywide and prohibit almost all open burning when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI) meets or exceeds 500,” a news release explained.

The KBDI summary for Florida counties that was issued on Oct. 12 put the Sarasota value at 517. That compared to 499 for Manatee County and 323 for Charlotte County, a Sarasota News Leader review found. A chart showed that the minimum figure for Sarasota County was 395, while the maximum was 595.

The charts are available on the website of the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

This is a sample of KBDI figures for counties as of Oct. 12. Sarasota is the last on this portion of the list. Image courtesy Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services

As those state 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.”

The county was under a burn ban from Dec. 28, 2024 through March 3 of this year. Then another ban was implemented on March 26; it was lifted on June 9.

The Oct. 11 news release pointed out, “All outdoor burning is prohibited unless a permit has been issued and is applicable for the unincorporated areas of Sarasota County and the City of Sarasota.”

It did note, “Exceptions to this include cooking on barbeque grills or pits that do not exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height, or any other valid state or county-authorized burn.”

The burn ban will be lifted automatically after the drought index falls below 500 for seven consecutive days, the release said. This announcement will be made on scgov.net, on Sarasota County social media pages and via local news media outlets, the release added.

This is the countywide rainfall data for this year through August. Image from the county’s Water Atlas on Oct. 13

The leaders of the Sarasota County Fire Department are asking “all residents to stay vigilant during these dry conditions” and take the following actions to protect their families and homes from fire danger:

  • “Create three zones of defensible space around your home or business.
  • “Clear trash and dead vegetation from the yard.”
  • Remove leaves and debris from roofs and gutters and from beneath decks.
  • “Have a plan and an emergency preparedness kit packed in case you need to evacuate quickly, especially if your home is near wildlands.”
  • Monitor local news media reports for updates on road closures, smoke conditions and other hazards.
  • “Use extreme caution when grilling, camping and discarding cigarettes.
  • “Don’t use anything” — such as lawn mowers — “that may create sparks outside on dry, windy days.
  • “If you see something, say something! Call 911 if you see fire in your area.

“Should a wildfire occur,” the release said, “nearby residents are urged to follow the directions from authorities, which may include evacuations in localized areas.

For more information, visit scgov.net/fire.