A temporary burn ban is in place for the City of Punta Gorda.
The ban means there is a prohibition on outdoor fires and open burning. This includes fireworks, recreational fires, and any open burning.
A notice will be issued when the ban is rescinded.
Sarasota, Manatee, Hardee, and DeSoto are among the 18 counties statewide with active burn bans .
In November alone, more than 1.7 million people living in counties along or near Southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast were plunged back into moderate drought, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, as worsening drought creeps south from the epicenter in the Panhandle.
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