Commissioners discuss possible burn ban

Without rain, there may be fire – wild fires and lots of them.

To ease the concerns of Santa Rosa County residents, county commissioners discussed the possibility of enacting a burn ban for the county on Thursdays.

“It would give the sheriff’s office the ability to react to a complaint,” said Commissioner Bob Cole, who requested the topic be added to the agenda item for the June 7 meeting.

However, Hunter Walker, county administrator, said that enacting such a ban would have unintended consequences and that the topic would need further review before any action is taken.

“Bans are either all or none,” he said. “You may affect a business negatively. But any common sense will tell you not to burn right now.”

The Florida Panhandle is the driest its’ been in several years, remarked Cole. The drought could lead to wild fires, especially with the use of fireworks.

“Putting a ban on fireworks is something within the board’s discretion,” Walker said.