Part of Kelly Park in Orange County, Florida, was burned intentionally Wednesday as land management officials try to stay ahead of fire weather conditions. The Florida Forest Service (FFS) is reporting a dangerous start to the 2026 fire season, with more than 650 wildfires recorded across the state since Jan. 1. More than 95 percent of the state is experiencing drought conditions.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Florida is in the midst of its worst drought in 25 years, according to new information released this week. That comes as the Florida Forest Service (FFS) reported a dangerous start to the 2026 fire season Friday, with more than 650 wildfires recorded across the state since the beginning of the year.
Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency earlier this week due to the drought conditions, as well as the historic cold snap the state experienced at the start of the month.
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The order waives agricultural weight restrictions to allow farmers to transport and harvest crops faster. It also directs Florida to collect information to request aid from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Small Business Administration.
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Water shortage restrictions have been issued across all five of the state’s water management districts — many of which include limits on lawn watering.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 98 percent of the state is experiencing some level of drought, with 85 percent experiencing “severe drought”, the most since March 2001.
These conditions have left vegetation across the peninsula bone-dry and ready to ignite.
(FOX Weather)
Wildfires this year have already consumed more than 21,000 acres, according to the FFS.
Part of Kelly Park in Orange County was intentionally burned Wednesday as land management officials attempt to stay ahead of fire weather conditions.
Emergency burn bans are in effect across 34 of the state’s 67 counties. Under these active bans, residents are strictly prohibited from starting campfires, bonfires, or fire pits, as well as burning yard waste or trash.
These measures are designed to reduce the strain on firefighting resources already battling active blazes like the 3,500-acre Buggy Fire in Broward County.
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According to the FOX Forecast Center, Florida has been in a prolonged dry pattern since the 2025 hurricane season.
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“Tropical systems, for all the destruction they cause, still produce lots of rain,” the Forecast Center said Friday.
2025 was a rare Atlantic hurricane season that saw no landfalling hurricanes in the U.S.
That lack of rain continued through the fall and through the first half of Winter. January, for example, was the 20th driest in 131 years of record keeping in Florida.
FILE – Alligators crowd into drying water March 1, 2001 in Everglades National Park at Shark Valley because of drought.
((Photo by Tim Chapman/Liaison) / Getty Images)
Some of the worst drought conditions are across North Florida and parts of the Panhandle.
Jacksonville and Tallahassee have seen their rainfall deficits swell to more than 13 inches below average since last August.
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In the near term, some drought relief may be on the way, as this weekend’s cross-country storm could drop 1–2 inches of rain across the Panhandle through the weekend.
Florida’s fire season historically runs from January until the start of the rainy season in June.
