A Winter Springs man will appear in court for creating burn piles without a permit during a burn ban.
Lake County reinstated the burn ban on Tuesday, April 21, due to a worsening drought and extreme wildfire conditions. While the ban is in effect for the foreseeable future, the Florida Forest Service can still authorize burn permits.
However, on the day the ban was reinstated, an officer responded to an illegal fire started by 43-year-old Vlado Ivetic on Wiygul Road in Umatilla, according to a notice to appear from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
Upon arrival, firefighters were already suppressing the fires. Several burn piles on site exceeded the 8×8 size, which required a burn permit from the FFS. They continued to smoulder with smoke as the officer spoke to Ivetic, the property owner, over the phone, the notice said.
He agreed to talk and stated he was the one that lit the fire, as he had been clearing the property. He later responded to the scene past midnight. He again advised that he and an employee had been clearing the land and lit the piles. He did not know he needed a permit to do so, the notice said.
Ivetic was subsequently issued a notive to appear for noncertified burning. His court date is to be determined.