Odd-numbered addresses can water during those hours on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays. Beyond that, there are no limitations on local water use planned, Keating said. And even that restriction is being taken lightly. Our situation is not as dire as some of our neighbors. Almost all South Florida residents face restrictions on how often they can wash cars and water lawns.
Similar policies are in force along the Gulf Coast and the Orlando area.
Other areas also have banned open burning, including Lakeland, which outlawed open burning and fireworks on Monday. The drought is causing some problems for the area's best-known industry, said Doug Bournique, executive vice president of the Indian River Citrus League. This year's fruit is smaller than normal, but the number of fruit is average. There also wasn't enough water to flood all of the fields to protect against cold snaps in late December and early January, he said. Now 80 to 85 percent of growers have micro-jet irrigators, which trickle enough water down to the roots to keep the trees alive.