MANATEE COUNTY, FL (June 3, 2024) – Due to the continued hot and dry weather, the Manatee County Board of County Commissioners (BOCC) has voted to impose a ban on all outdoor burning and the use and discharge of fireworks and sparklers in the county, effective immediately.
“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. “It is recommended that we declare a burn ban within Manatee County.”
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 because of the increasingly dry conditions in the county.
The following uses will be allowed:
- 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
This burn ban will be in effect until 11:59 p.m., June 10, 2024, unless extended as allowed by law.