BlockBefore

Bruce, Florida

16 topographic sheets cover this place, the earliest surveyed in 1944 and the latest in 1988. It stands in the Freeport census division. It lies in ZIP code area 32455. It stands on Little Black Creek. The Survey maps it on the Bruce quadrangle.

Bruce within Walton County

Then and now

1944 to 1988

The same ground, surveyed 44 years apart. Drag the handle to wipe between them. Both sheets are United States Geological Survey originals; neither has been altered.

Topographic sheet of Bruce, surveyed 1988
Topographic sheet of Bruce, surveyed 1944

Topographic sheets covering this place

9 surveys from 16 printed sheets

Matched by testing this settlement's coordinate against the published boundary of every sheet in the United States Geological Survey's historical collection. Each opens the scanned sheet at the Survey.

Fires near this place

114 since 1992

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal wildfire occurrence database lists 114 fires within 5 miles of Bruce between 1992 and 2020, burning about 2,175 acres in total. 22 started naturally. 11 were recorded as arson. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a fire counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Reported cause Fires
Debris and open burning27
Natural22
Equipment and vehicle use20
Railroad operations and maintenance11
Arson/incendiarism11
Missing data/not specified/undetermined7
Smoking5
Misuse of fire by a minor4
Recreation and ceremony3
Other causes2
Power generation/transmission/distribution1
Fireworks1

The most recent of them, most recent first, with the day each was reported and the service that recorded it.

DateCause SizeReported by Name on the report
22 September 2010Natural20 acresFlorida Forest Service66/WINDSWEPT BLVD-0553
14 September 2003Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceBLACK CREEK # 2
14 September 2003Equipment and vehicle useunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceBLACK CREEK # 3
12 September 2005Missing data/not specified/undetermined15 acresFlorida Forest Service66 - DON GRAFF RD & WHITE OAK
1 September 2011Debris and open burningunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceDON GRAFF RD ( 66 )
4 July 1992Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
4 July 1992Equipment and vehicle use1.0 acresFlorida Forest Servicenot named
31 July 2017Debris and open burningunder an acreFlorida Forest ServiceSTANLEY DR (66)

Settlements close enough to share some of these fires:

Every fire recorded in Walton County

Mines and quarries near this place

4 within 5 miles

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The federal mineral resources record lists 4 workings within 5 miles of Bruce: 2 past producers, 2 unknowns. None of them still produces. What was taken out: Clay, Sand and Gravel, Construction, Sand. Distance is straight-line from the map coordinates, so a quarry counted here may appear on a neighbouring settlement's page as well.

Where SiteCommodity StatusRecorded
Dot Marianna - Ebro MineSandUnknownSand
Unnamed Sand DepositSand and Gravel, ConstructionPast Producer
Unnamed Clay DepositClayPast Producer
Washington Co. Comm. - Ebro MineClayUnknown

Every working recorded in Walton County

Storms near this place

17 since 2006

Regional context, not property-specific evidence. The National Weather Service names Bruce in 17 storm reports between 2006 and 2025: 9 thunderstorm wind, 2 hail, 2 flash flood, 2 tornado. No death or injury is recorded in these reports. Each account below is quoted exactly as the forecast office filed it, from the NOAA Storm Events Database, and each date opens the federal record of that event.

WhenEvent Place namedHarm What the report says
March 2022LightningBruce$150,000A lightning strike resulted in a house fire.
January 2024Thunderstorm WindBruce$3,000A tree blew down and a storage roof was damaged.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindBruce$2,000The top of a tree broke off and fell onto power lines north of Bruce, resulting in a power outage.
April 2015Tornado (EF0)Bruce$2,000A brief EF0 tornado occurred along Highway 81 just north of Bruce. Damage was confined to trees and power lines downed.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindBruce$2,000Trees and power lines were blown down.
June 2014Thunderstorm WindBruce$2,000Power lines were blown down in Bruce.
June 2018Thunderstorm WindBruce$1,000An mping report was received of shingle damage and trees limbs snapped.
September 2025HailBruce-Video of large hail was posted on social media from the Windswept Dunes neighborhood.
August 2021Thunderstorm WindBruce-A tree was blown down on Highway 20.
September 2020Flash FloodBruce-Highway 81 near Windmill Road was closed due to flooding.
April 2019Thunderstorm WindBruce-Scattered trees were blown down.
July 2018Thunderstorm WindBruce-A tree was blown down west of Bruce along Highway 20 and blocked the road.
April 2015Thunderstorm WindBruce-Trees were blown down on Highway 81 just north of Highway 20.
April 2015Tornado (EF0)Bruce-A brief tornado was confirmed by a KEVX dual-pol radar debris signature in a rural area west of Bruce. Damage was likely confined to trees with no structural damage reported. This tornado was rated EF0.
April 2014Flash FloodBruce-Waits Street was impassible due to flash flooding.
September 2012FloodBruce-State Highway 81 at Willie Ward Road had 6-8 inches of water on it due to areal flooding with the road department placing signs.
August 2006HailBruce-Penny size hail was reported by a SKYWARN storm spotter.

Every storm recorded in Walton County

Nearest settlements

The eight closest, with where each one stands in the county. Distances are straight-line, computed from the Geographic Names Information System coordinates.

Map PlaceDistance Sheets
Battle Ground Forks2.4 miles13
Miller Bend4.3 miles16
Old Bay View8.0 miles16
Redbay8.3 miles13
Bunker8.6 miles16
Freeport9.2 miles16
Fluffy Landing9.5 miles16
Choctaw10.4 miles17

Provenance

This settlement is recorded in the Geographic Names Information System as feature 279502. The sheet list is computed by point-in-boundary test against the United States Geological Survey's historical topographic inventory. Both are works of the United States government and carry no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Wildfire. Short, Karen C. 2022. Spatial wildfire occurrence data for the United States, 1992-2020 [FPA_FOD_20221014]. 6th Edition. Fort Collins, CO: Forest Service Research Data Archive. https://doi.org/10.2737/RDS-2013-0009.6 Collected with United States Government funding and usable without additional permissions or fees.

Mines and quarries. USGS Mineral Resources Data System (MRDS) https://mrdata.usgs.gov/mrds/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105.

Storms. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, Storm Events Database https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/stormevents/ A work of the United States government, no copyright under 17 U.S.C. 105. Narratives are quoted verbatim from the National Weather Service report and are not edited or summarised.