POLK COUNTY, Fla. — Polk County officials have reinstated a burn ban as drought conditions continue across the county. The ban includes unincorporated Polk County and the following municipalities: Auburndale, Bartow, Davenport, Dundee, Eagle Lake, Fort Meade, Frostproof, Haines City, Hillcrest Heights, Lake Alfred, Lake Hamilton, Lakeland, Mulberry, Polk City and Winter Haven.
The burn ban is determined using the Keetch-Byram Drought Index (KBDI). The KBDI is a continuous reference scale ranging from 0 to 800. It assesses the moisture content from no moisture deficiency (0) to maximum drought conditions (800) of the soil. This helps predict the potential for wildfires.
A burn ban is issued once over 50% of the county reaches over 500 on the index, officials said. Polk County’s current daily reading is 76% over the 500 benchmark with a countywide average of 531…