Hardee County staff present revised fire prevention ordinance, proposes faster burn-ban triggers

Casey Dasher, Hardee County public safety director, told the Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 2 that staff and the county attorney have combined two existing ordinances into a single fire prevention ordinance intended to streamline life-safety inspections and the county's burn-ban process.

The ordinance would consolidate the county's existing fire-prevention rules and an earlier burn-ban ordinance and would allow county leadership to enact or lift burn bans more quickly when conditions worsen, Dasher said. Under the draft, the drought-index trigger for some burn-ban actions would move from 650 to 600, a change Dasher said is intended to let the county act earlier during drier stretches of the year.

Dasher said the county currently receives drought-index reports from the Florida Division of Forestry that cover most of the county; in recent years the county has crossed the 600 mark in spring months such as April and May, he said. He said dry vegetation — notably cogon grass on roadsides and pastures — contributes to large brush fires and that the lower trigger would give staff "more flexibility, more fluid" authority to enact or lift bans quickly.

The draft also spells out inspection frequencies by occupancy risk in line with the Florida Fire Prevention Code, Dasher said: some lower-risk retail occupancies would be inspected every three years rather than annually, while higher-risk occupancies would retain shorter cycles. Dasher said the change is intended to make the county's requirements easier for business owners to find without cross-referencing state code.

Commissioners asked about enforcement, penalties and inspection fees. The county attorney said penalties will be supplied in a separate schedule of fines accompanying the ordinance and that statutory maximums in chapter 162 (Florida statutes governing county penalties) apply. The attorney said the county's existing code-enforcement process — which includes magistrate hearings and, for specified life-safety matters, referral to a judge — will be used for violations.

Dasher and the fire marshal said inspection fees are set by square footage under the county's amended fee schedule and start at $60 but increase with building size; Dasher said the county adopted an updated fee schedule in October. On penalties, commissioners were told typical current practice references a $500 fine or up to 30 days in jail but that the ordinance will point to the county's codified fine schedule rather than listing dollar amounts in-line.

Several commissioners asked how staff will notify businesses and residents about the new code language and inspection schedule. Dasher said staff will compile a list of county businesses (starting in Wauchula, then Zolfo Springs, Bowling Green and unincorporated areas), use social media and local news, and hold outreach meetings — including informal "coffee" meetings with business owners — to explain changes.

The county attorney said the draft ordinance also aims to recodify scattered prior ordinances into a single chapter (proposed Chapter 15) so the county's rules are easier to locate and to resolve any internal conflicts between older documents. The attorney said the proposed ordinance will replace and repeal existing, inconsistent language once codified.

No formal vote or final adoption was recorded during the workshop; staff described the draft and said the ordinance package will be finalized with an accompanying schedule of fines and fee schedule for commissioners to review.