Seminole County lifts burn ban as drought conditions improve

Seminole County residents can again burn yard debris where local rules allow, after officials lifted the countywide burn ban effective Friday, June 19. The change came after weeks of improving drought conditions across Central Florida, but county leaders are still warning that wildfire danger has not disappeared.

The county tied the decision to its drought threshold: Seminole County Code Section 85.24 triggers a burn ban when the Keetch-Byram Drought Index reaches 500 or higher, and the restriction can be rescinded after the index stays below 500 for seven consecutive days. County officials said rainfall pushed conditions far enough in the right direction to remove the ban, at least for now.

That lift matters because the June 9 executive order had put a hard stop on open burning, including campfires, bonfires, trash burning and similar open incineration unless authorized by the Florida Forest Service. The order also put the Sheriff, State Fire Marshal agents, the Florida Forest Service and Seminole County Code Enforcement officers on enforcement duty. Even with the emergency ban gone, residents still have to follow local burning rules, and illegal burning can still draw county or state enforcement.

Seminole County first imposed the burn ban on April 24 and extended it on May 1, May 8, May 15 and May 22 before the June 9 order. County notices and city alerts in places such as Longwood reflected the same message throughout early June: dry conditions and elevated fire risk kept the restrictions in place until enough rain fell. County officials later said the ban had to be reinstated when the drought index again hit the county threshold, a reminder that one wet stretch does not end the threat for long.

The regional picture remains uneven. Brevard County also lifted its burn ban, but its drought index was still running in the 350 to 400 range by June 22 after being above 500, a sign of improvement rather than a full recovery. Burn bans were still in effect in some nearby areas, including unincorporated Orange and Osceola counties.

County officials have said wildfire season could stretch into July or August, while the Florida Forest Service describes Florida as having a twelve-month wildfire season. Officials also point to weather markers such as days since rain, wind and relative humidity as indicators residents should watch if dry conditions return. Florida’s 1998 wildfire season, when more than half a million acres burned and 337 structures were damaged or destroyed, remains the clearest warning of how quickly conditions can turn.