Wakulla County commissioners unanimously voted to declare a state of emergency and enact a burn ban on April 15.
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The decision comes after several months of severe drought and 99 brush fires in the county since September 2025. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration reports the county is experiencing its sixth driest year.
The Wakulla County Board of County Commissioners met for a special meeting to enact the ban at the request of Wakulla County Fire Rescue.
Wakulla County Fire Rescue Fire Chief Louis Lamarche said neighboring counties have also enacted burn bans over the past couple of months due to ongoing fires around the state.
"There are quite a few fires going on in Florida right now," Lamarche said. "So large concern, as well as our partners in forestry, their resources and availability. If we were to have a large-scale event in Wakulla County, their ability to respond and assist...of course, they take lead on those fires, but what kind of manpower they would have and how much we can assist them? It's just a little strap right now in the state of Florida."
County Commissioner Ralph Thomas said the ban is a preemptive step to help keep fires from getting out of hand and to protect citizens and firefighters.
"If a fire gets out of control when it's this dry, it's easy for it to get away from us, and we just want to make sure that doesn't happen," Thomas said. "You know, our team does a very good job, and they're going to stay on top of it no matter what happens. But we have had some in the past that have flared up pretty big, even when it was under conditions that are not as dry as they are now."
Thomas also noted the lack of typical spring rain.
"We've always heard April showers bring May flowers, but not this year. Normally, in April we get a lot of rain, and we just haven't had that this year," Thomas said.
The burn ban prohibits bonfires, campfires, outdoor fireplaces and chimneys, cooking fires not contained in grills, and outdoor activities creating flames or sparks, such as fireworks and sparklers.
Cooking food within an enclosed gas or charcoal grill, training conducted by Wakulla County Fire Rescue, and burn operations approved by the Florida Forest Service are exempt from the ban.
The ban will last for seven days, ending on April 22. However, the chairman of the board has the authorization to extend the ban in seven-day increments as necessary if conditions warrant.
Visitors at the Newport Campground said the burn ban is necessary to protect forest lands. Nature photographer Roger Cook, who is staying at the campground, supports the measure.
"I think it's great," Cook said. "I think that when we have drought situations, and it's dry like this, we need to not burn, you know. It could start forest fire, you know, and we would be destroying our natural resources that we come here for, you know, I'm all for it, yeah."
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