Despite drought, Florida declines to enact July 4 fireworks ban

TALLAHASSEE — On Tuesday, Florida Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson said Florida will not impose a fireworks ban for Independence Day, despite 2,440 wildfires occurring across the state since the start of the year.

“The past six months have been one of the state’s busiest fire seasons in recent memory, and though recent rains have helped rein in drought conditions, the risk of wildfire still exists in Florida and needs to be taken seriously,” Simpson said in a released statement.

Last month, Simpson warned that without significant rainfall, the widespread use of fireworks could ignite dangerous wildfires, potentially setting the entire state ablaze in a single evening. Simpson added that it would take at least a foot of rain to alleviate the severe drought conditions in most counties. That amount of rain has not materialized.

Wildfires have already consumed over 176,000 acres so far this year, approaching last year's total of 228,183 acres.

Earlier this week, Manatee County became the 11th Florida county to enact a burn ban. However, "Properly permitted public fireworks displays with adequate fire suppression equipment and personnel on site," are still permitted.