MARTIN COUNTY, Fla. — Florida is experiencing statewide droughts, creating dangerous fire conditions while residents are still recovering from a cold snap.
The extreme weather has left homeowners across the Treasure Coast struggling to save their landscapes after a devastating one-two punch of freezing temperatures followed by bone-dry conditions.
WATCH: One homeowner says it feels like 'someone is messing with the weather'
In Martin County, Hal Rosenbalt has been fighting to keep his Palm City lawn alive by constantly repositioning his sprinkler across his property.
"Well, yeah, half of it is already dead because of the drought," Rosenbalt said.
The 35-year resident and self-proclaimed weather enthusiast installed a rain gauge on his roof to monitor conditions. His rain gauge tells the story of the severe conditions gripping the region.
"We've had very little rain lately, quarter of an inch this whole last month, if that. We're in a dry season but we usually get more rain than we have in the past, especially this year," Rosenbalt said.
The drought comes just weeks after a winter blast left yards covered in frost and landscaping destroyed across the area.
"When that happens you start getting wildfires," Rosenbalt said.
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Fire danger has become a real concern for the Treasure Coast.
Last year, a fire in Martin County grew to 150 acres before being fully contained, prompting voluntary evacuations of 32 homes.
In 2024, a 30-acre brush fire ignited near the Stuart West community in Palm City, caused by an ember from a previous brush fire.
Both Martin and St. Lucie counties have burn bans in effect, with St. Lucie County being the second county in our viewing area under extreme drought conditions.
St. Lucie resident Tracey Henderson is taking extra precautions as a smoker during these dangerous conditions.
"I smoke so I try not to just flick it somewhere, especially out the window driving down the road," Henderson said. "It only takes one, that's all it takes that one and you lose a whole neighborhood."
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Henderson's property shows the devastating impact of the extreme weather pattern.
"Everything is dead. I mean, some of it I don't think is going to come back, look how dry it is, it snaps off," Henderson said. "We have a mango tree out back and it's losing all its leaves, it was blooming ready to do something, now we have a yard full of leaves and the tree is looking dead."
The winter freeze destroyed Henderson's landscaping, which he said will require significant time and care to recover.
"The freeze killed everything when it went down freezing, the plants in the back just died every one of them, it's crazy, I feel like someone is messing with the weather," Henderson said.
The South Florida Water Management District reports there currently isn't a water shortage, but officials are asking residents to voluntarily conserve water.
Henderson remembers when Florida's weather patterns were more predictable as he waits for more rain.
"Rain, it used to rain every afternoon. I remember when you were a kid you could set your clock by it," Henderson said.
As of Thursday, the only parts of the viewing area not experiencing extreme drought are the northern sections of Indian River and Okeechobee counties, and the southeast half of Palm Beach County.
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