Hernando County Lifts Burn Ban After Rain, but Drought Concerns Persist

Hernando County commissioners voted unanimously on March 10 to lift the emergency countywide burn ban that had been in place since January 8, ending a 62-day prohibition that covered all unincorporated areas of the county and the City of Brooksville.

The ban was originally instituted under Hernando County Code Chapter 12 Article VI after the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reached 606 on January 8, a reading the Florida Forest Service classified as "Very High" fire danger. County officials warned at the time that even a tossed cigarette into dry grass could ignite an uncontrollable brush fire, and bonfires, campfires, and burning of yard debris were all prohibited under the order. Cooking on a contained gas or charcoal grill remained the one outdoor fire activity still permitted throughout the ban.

What changed by March 10 was the rainfall. Recent precipitation reduced ground-level fire risk enough to bring a noticeable drop in the Keetch-Byram Drought Index and a reduced number of brush fire responses across the region, according to multiple officials and reports. The improvement prompted the BOCC to act.

The relief, however, is qualified. Paul Hasenmeier, Hernando County's Director of Public Safety and Fire Chief, told commissioners the county remains under "severe drought conditions" and said his department will return to the board if fire risk climbs again.

The lift is not a return to unrestricted burning. Residents in unincorporated Hernando County and Brooksville are free to resume outdoor burning, but Florida Forest Service setbacks and containment regulations still govern all burn activity. Standard rules on distance from structures and fire containment remain in force.

Hernando County was not alone in acting on March 10. The Citrus County Board of County Commissioners also rescinded its countywide burn ban the same day, citing similar improvements in precipitation and drought index readings. Burn bans remained active in Hillsborough, Pasco, and Pinellas counties at the time of the Hernando vote. Fire officials across the region coordinate with neighboring agencies, including Crystal River, the Amherst Fire Department, and Sumter County, to align burn ban decisions.

The underlying water situation in the region remains stressed. On the same day commissioners lifted the ban, the Southwest Florida Water Management District published a video addressing low water conditions across the district, a reminder that a few weeks of rainfall has not resolved a deeper hydrological deficit. The Florida Department of Agriculture had previously forecast below-average precipitation through the driest months of the year, a projection that shaped the original January ban and continues to inform how county officials are framing the current situation.

Anyone who witnesses a burn ban violation, should one be reimposed, can report it to the Hernando County Communications Center at 352-754-6830. The county's main government line is 352-754-4000.