Manatee County is the latest to impose an outdoor burn ban. The County Commission passed an ordinance Tuesday morning banning all burning including flares, explosives and sparklers. Public Safety Director Bob Smith said the ban will continue “until such time as the drought conditions have subsided.” Both Sarasota and Charlotte Counties imposed their respective bans last week. Commissioners said the ban will remain in effect “until the threat of wildfires no longer exists and the board terminates the state of local emergency.”
