The Southwest Florida Water Management District has declared a Modified Phase II “severe” water shortage, placing the Tampa Bay region, including Hillsborough County, under a Stage 2 drought warning because of prolonged dry conditions and low water levels.

Under the new restrictions, outdoor lawn watering will be limited to one day per week from Feb. 8, 2026, through July 1, 2026. The order applies to Citrus, DeSoto, Hardee, Hernando, Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas, Polk, Sarasota, and Sumter counties, along with portions of several other Central Florida counties.

Residents must follow a schedule based on the last digit of their street address for permitted watering days, and many local governments have their own specific hours and additional rules that may be stricter. Outdoor water use, including irrigation, accounts for more than half of household consumption in the region.

The order also limits non-essential uses of water: home car washing is allowed only on assigned watering days, aesthetic fountains are restricted in daily operation time, and homeowners associations cannot enforce rules that increase water use for landscaping or pressure washing.

Officials cited a significant rainfall deficit and declining river, lake, and aquifer levels as reasons for the action, and water managers are urging continued conservation as forecasts show below-normal rainfall for the coming months.

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