POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County Fire Rescue issued a burn ban on Tuesday, citing dry weather conditions and lack of rainfall as the reason.
Polk County officials said the county is averaging over 507 on the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI), a continuous reference scale used by the Florida Forest Service to assess the likelihood and severity of brush fires.
The ban includes:
- Campfires;
- Bonfires;
- Unpermitted controlled burns;
- Burning of yard and household trash;
- Burning of construction debris;
- Burning of organic debris;
- Igniting of fireworks; and
- Noncommercial burning of materials other than for religious or ceremonial purposes, in which case they must be contained in a barbecue grill or barbecue pit, and the total fuel area cannot exceed three feet in diameter and two feet in height.
The burn ban applies to all unincorporated Polk and the following municipalities: Auburndale, Bartow, Dundee, Lake Alfred, Winter Haven, Lakeland, Frostproof, Fort Meade, and Haines City.
Anyone who refuses to comply or violates this burn ban shall be in violation of County Ordinance 08-015 and can be punished by a fine not to exceed $500 or by imprisonment by a term not to exceed 60 days in the county jail or both.
