Palm Harbor and Dunedin residents will stay under "extreme" water restrictions through March 31, 2027. The Southwest Florida Water Management District voted Tuesday to extend its Phase III Modified Water Shortage Order for six more months.

The extension means continued one-day-per-week lawn watering, strict overnight hours and $193 fines for violations in Pinellas County. The region's 12-month rainfall deficit reached 15.4 inches through August, up from 15.2 inches in July, according to Spectrum Bay News 9.

Drought has intensified since January

Florida's rainy season ends Sept. 30. The district has received below-average rainfall every month since November 2024 except May 2025 and May 2026, the water management district said in a statement.

Tampa Bay Water's C.W. Bill Young Regional Reservoir held 7.87 billion gallons as of Sept. 21, roughly half its storage capacity, according to the district's announcement.

"Every bit of rain helps, but we need sustained rain in the upper river basins for it to make a real dent in our drought," Warren Hogg, chief science officer for Tampa Bay Water, told WTSP in August.

The drought has deepened steadily. The district declared a Phase II "severe" shortage in January with a 13-inch deficit, escalated to Phase III in March at 13.7 inches and extended the order in June when the deficit stood at 11.4 inches. Summer storms briefly narrowed the gap before it widened again.

What the rules mean for residents

Under the Phase III order, lawn and landscape watering is limited to one day per week. Properties under one acre may water only during one window: 12:01 a.m. to 4 a.m. or 8 p.m. to 11:59 p.m.

Palm Harbor falls north of state Road 580 in the Pinellas County Utilities service area. Residents with even-numbered addresses water Saturdays; odd-numbered addresses water Wednesdays. Dunedin residents should verify their assigned day with their water provider.

Hand-watering plants with a hose or microirrigation is allowed any day before 8 a.m. or after 6 p.m., but lawn sprinklers are not. Car washing at home is permitted only on the resident's assigned watering day with a shutoff nozzle.

Restaurants must serve water only upon request. Decorative fountains may run no more than four hours per day.

Homeowners associations cannot enforce landscaping rules that would require residents to use more water, including pressure washing or replacing plants to meet appearance standards.

Fines, enforcement and where to get help

Outdoor water use accounts for more than half of household consumption, according to the district. Pinellas County Utilities Director Jeremy Waugh said in a June statement that conservation protects the ecosystems that depend on the same water supply.

Utilities staff issue $193 citations without a prior warning, according to Pinellas County.

Residents with questions can contact the district at [email protected] or 800-836-0797.