Nocatee, Florida — Florida is experiencing its worst drought in a quarter-century, with 98 percent of the state in drought conditions and more than 650 wildfires having burned over 21,000 acres since January 1, prompting Governor Ron DeSantis to declare a state of emergency and 34 counties to impose emergency burn bans.
Nocatee, located about 20 miles southeast of Jacksonville in St. Johns County, is a master-planned community of approximately 25,000 residents in a region of Northeast Florida that has experienced significant rainfall deficits — Jacksonville is more than 13 inches below normal since last August — placing the community within the severe drought zone.
According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, 85 percent of Florida is experiencing severe drought — the highest level since March 2001. The prolonged dry pattern stems from the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season, which saw no landfalling hurricanes in the United States, depriving the state of the heavy rainfall that tropical systems typically deliver. Jacksonville and Tallahassee have recorded rainfall deficits of more than 13 inches since last August.
The Florida Forest Service reports that some of the largest fires include the Quarry 2 Fire in Miami-Dade County, which has burned more than 19,000 acres, and the Max Road Miramar Fire, which consumed over 11,000 acres in Broward and Miami-Dade counties. A lightning-caused fire in the Lake Woodruff National Wildlife Refuge in Volusia County has burned 4,700 acres and remains only 60 percent contained as of mid-June.
The governor's emergency declaration waives agricultural weight restrictions to speed crop transport and harvest, and directs information collection for potential federal aid requests through the USDA and Small Business Administration. All five of Florida's water management districts have imposed water shortage restrictions, including limits on lawn watering. Emergency burn bans prohibit campfires, bonfires, fire pits, and yard waste or trash burning across 34 of the state's 67 counties.
