State attorney’s office making ‘major announcements’ at Collier County Courthouse press conferenceTake Two Coffee to celebrate grand opening in Fort Myers
FILE: Fire in Hendry County on March 4. (WINK News) Across Southwest Florida, you’ll see parched landscaping, dehydrated blooms, and overall dry conditions — all signs of a drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, Southwest Florida is in a “moderate drought.” WINK News Meteorologist Brittany Van Voorhees said, “Our drought so far this year, and our deficit so far this year, rainfall wise, it’s pretty significant.” LINK: U.S. Drought Portal Which means we could see some damage to crops. and develop water shortages. Van Voorhees explained, “We are in the dry season, so our dry season goes from November all the way through April. And we only see 23% of our yearly precipitation during that time.” So how can you play a role in conserving water? The South Florida Water Management districts say you should only water your lawn twice a week to preserve water, take shorter showers, turn off your sink while brushing your teeth, and only run your washing machine and dishwasher with a full load. Lee, DeSoto, Charlotte, and Hendry counties also have burn bans in effect. In DeSoto County, in addition to open burning, their resolution 2020-28, which mirrors a 2017 ban also bans fireworks, sparklers, trick noisemakers like poppers, and flares. Spokesman Todd Dunn with the Charlotte County Fire and EMS said, “Don’t do anything that might cause a small fire to quickly grow into a large raging forest fire.” With the dry season running through the end of the month, he advises to cut back on water usage now. The Southwest Florida counties with burn bans prohibit recreational burning like yard fires or fire pits. Burn bans in effect: Lee County Charlotte County Hendry County DeSoto County