Changing FL Laws! WE NEED ALL THE HELP WE CAN GET *PLEASE READ UPDATES

[rozmiarek]

Have there been any recent developments in the Orlando situation? I just move from Tampa, Florida (right next door), and we were keeping four hens in our back yard, under the radar.

I didn't think anything of it then, but it's a scary proposition living under the condition where a neighbor can make you get rid of your pets, if they decide they don't like you. Chicken owners should have the same protection and responsibilties as other more conventional pet owners.

-Andy

 

[Chicken7777]

yes you are most right rozmiarek, we should have the same security as other states have been able to receive as well.
and what do you mean by developments? if you are asking for updates they are all here in this thread. I recieved a really nice email from Karen (the lady that had her chickens reported!) it is really nice, she is going to use that for recruiting more people to the cause, this saturday!

To date there are more than 50 people that have been recruited and have been able to send emails(maybe even more counting the people that have read this thread and given their positive opinions!)

Now all we have to do is just come up with a proposal for the law.....WE NEED HELP WITH THIS...I dont know how we all can come along and come with a very nice proposal for the Board of Commisioners and mayor...but we need all positive opinions and help! I will make a post on this later on today if possible and hopefully we will get some posts with great ideas, and opinions!

P.S Karen will hopefully post her chicken flyer information later on today to give you something great to read!

 

[Chicken7777]

Okay I was able to speak with Karen(shes like the organizer i guess you can say! LOL) Well we were discussing on maybe making a day to meet up for the cause, and discuss what and how should the proposal be constructed since we have to make one to show the Board of Commisioners by email. Another thing is maybe contacting Orlando Sentinel, and even news reporters to come out and see this cause in the moment!

WE NEED EVERYONES OPINIONS AND HELP ON MAKING THIS PROPOSAL.
examples would be...."how many chickens for every sq Ft in a property. Or should it just be if you live in a residential area you should be allowed to have at least 10 or more with your responsibility of taking care of them and not letting any smell or bother get to anyone.........

Well we need everyones help and I do hope Karen will post later on, and everyone else in this to help change these laws.

thanks again everyone!

 

[swampwander]

Chicken7777- I want to let you know how much your effort is really appreciated. I would LOVE to change our code over here on the east coast. One major problem for me, I work for the government that needs to be changed and we are not allowed to be proactive. It's one of the rights we've given up to work here, it seems. Please keep us updated and if anyone else is looking to change BC code, let me know. I can support it, but I can't be active....

My experience from childhood in Cali was that the City we lived in allowed up to 3 hens, and hens only, on a standard city lot (1/4 acre or less). Not sure about other areas.

 

[jcdillin]

I really think this is great and I will send some e-mails myself. I would love to see Miami become a bit more kind towards people living in residential areas in reference to poultry.

I've actually been holding off on getting my Black Australorps because I don't want someone to complain and just have them taken away.

 

[mommyof4littles]

Just a thought on what you could add for economic reasons

Having your own chickens means those eggs are not being shipped+less gas

You buy a bit of chicken food but do not spend 2.00 for a dozen eggs

You do not waste food since your chickens eat pretty much all of your leftovers

If you buy a dozen a week at 2.00 a dozen you spend 104.00 a year whereas you save that otherwise. I buy 3 14.00 bags of food a year so I save 62.00 a year and my neighbors save as well since they get the excess free for allowing my chicks. My 3 hens make 21 eggs a week on average. They all lay daily. So I save my neighbors between 60 and 80.00 yearly depending on whether my chicks will continue at that rate.

If 808.83 households (1 percent of the est. number of households) did this they would save themselves 50,147.46 total and save their friends and neighbors up to 63,088.74. Point out that 110,000 dollars would most likely not get saved so since it was not budgeted and is not alot per person anyways they would likely spend it in Orlando or at the very least in Florida. Now there are what, 16 million or so living in Florida as a state. Say they are all evenly 4 person households on average Think if 1 percent raised 3 hens... Money is the only way the state likes to think, you have got to think like them. That is 5.6 million dollars. That going into other areas of the florida economy (I am just assuming your eggs are shipped from up north in the midwest.) would make a very big difference. At no additional cost to the state. This is also believing people all have 3 little kids who pick at their plates and so have lots of leftovers though. Eh

Or what if there was a 4.00 total animal tag for chickens per year not per just altogether that is over 3,200 for orlando but 160,000 for the state. I bet you could find number estimates on how many chicken owners have chickens in a similar city that allows them and then have a good idea on percentages to use more convincing numbers

 

[Chicken7777]

Thank you soo much all of you for giving your support in this thread and for the cause! i appreciate the nice words and support (swampwander, jcdillin, mommyof4littles)

Lets just please keep it up since there are a couple of things still needed to do to get more of these "authorities'" attention!

***First of all I received an email today from the Board of Commisioners' office, I already replied back so please give me any feedback on what you guys think, etc. The reading is below so do not forget to read it and post your opinions!


UPDATES Tuesday, January 27, 2009

*1. We have made a new email only used for these poultry law changes - [email protected]
This will be the email to contact us in regards of this cause, and act.
This will also be the email you will be contacted by with when we need to give out any news or updates on the cause.
This will also be the email where you can be able to register yourself to come on out and participate in "a" meeting that we will have in a couple of weeks.

**2. We are wanting to make a meeting where everyone wanting to participate in this cause can come and give your opinions and support for the proposal that we all NEED to come up with....This proposal is the proposal that we will need to present to the Board of Commisioners and mayor of Orlando SOONER OR LATER.

it needs to be a well organized and well established "ammendment" to the currentt law stating we cannot have poultry in our own backyards/property.

We need to come up with how many poultry allowed in a amount of space and what should be the rules containing it, etc.

Here is the thread to register/post on your interest in helping out and coming out to give support. https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=125791

****you can also register yourself by emailing us to the new email address given above.

REGISTER BY JUST...
A.Giving us your name and a contact information for you to be contacted when we have the date established for the meeting
( email, phone number, etc, etc, etc.

B. Emailing us and just telling us you want to help out and want to be included in this great cause.

Well this concludes this new update and I hope to see all the Floridians here in this website, everyone that has seen our fliers in front of tractor supply co shops, petshops and other stores to post in this thread and register in the other thread or email to register for the meeting we are wanting to hold.

Thank you once again for the support.

*****Do not forget to read the email i received from the office of the Board of Commisioners and my reply*****-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

!!!!!Subject: FW: Poultry Laws! Save Orlando's BackYard Poultry!
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:58:03 -0500
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]



Mr. Rafael:



I was asked by some of the Commissioners to reply to your email. Certainly you have some very persuasive arguments. As you indicate, in Orange County, poultry including chickens are not allowed on residential property per the Zoning code. I can tell you that this office receives numerous complaints from residents about chickens running loose, making noise, etc. While many people would agree with you, many more would oppose any changes in the current restrictions.



The Commissioners very much appreciate your views on the subject. It’s great you’re raising public awareness.



Bob Spivey

Manager

Code Enforcement Division


MY REPLY!!!!!

RE: Poultry Laws! Save Orlando's BackYard Poultry!
From: ([email protected])
Sent: Tue 1/27/09 10:03 AM
To: [email protected]


Thank you very much for replying back it has been quite some time since I even heard anything from any authorities on this cause....
Well I have one question to ask you and it would be great if you could ask the Board of Commisioners as well.
Why do other states; Mostly their city areas(Boston, Seatle, Los Angeles, and even more) have the liberty and freedom to keep poultry and we cant? This state and mostly this city of Orlando is nothing compared to those great cities and I know coming from the Greatest city of al NYC.
What I dont understand how this is possible since this place is full of agriculture and much more "decent" in raising poultry compared to large cities.

I just hope you can ask yourself that and think for a moment on what this all mean.....It would be great as well if you could be able to go ahead and ask this question to the board of commissioners to keep them thinking.
I am aware of the reporting, scandels, and even rediculous complains that "some" citizens argue on, and what is ironic then is how/why city folk in other "grand" places/cities arent as stubborn as country people here.....

Well I hope you can be able to reply back to me a little sooner, and it would be great if you can help us out on trying to have this changed in any way. Myself and the many many many others is this cause are not going to give up for the rights that we deserve as other have been able to get these rights.

I appreciate your understanding and help and hope to hear from you very soon...

Thank You very much and God Bless!

 

[andlorr]

If anyone is looking to check the laws in their county on keeping chickens, you can search at http://www.municode.com. Terms to use are "poultry," "livestock," and of course, "chickens."

I searched both Orange and Seminole county codes, and it looks like the relevant laws are found in the Zoning sections.

As for what to change the law to, I suggest looking up the codes for areas that do allow chickens to be kept, and presenting that language as a possibility.

Hope this helps!

 

[Smartie_Pants]

!!!!!Subject: FW: Poultry Laws! Save Orlando's BackYard Poultry!
Date: Wed, 21 Jan 2009 15:58:03 -0500
From: [email protected]
To: [email protected]



Mr. Rafael:



I was asked by some of the Commissioners to reply to your email. Certainly you have some very persuasive arguments. As you indicate, in Orange County, poultry including chickens are not allowed on residential property per the Zoning code. I can tell you that this office receives numerous complaints from residents about chickens running loose, making noise, etc. While many people would agree with you, many more would oppose any changes in the current restrictions.



The Commissioners very much appreciate your views on the subject. It’s great you’re raising public awareness.



Bob Spivey

Manager

Code Enforcement Division

I don't even live in Florida and that is offensive to me! First of all, how were they "making noise"? Chickens, even when they do get vocal, are not loud at all. In fact, they make very little noise compared to people who just let their dogs bark all day. Second of all "running around loose", its called free ranging. Chickens were not meant to be crammed in small little cages/coops. If they were on the owners property, why does that matter? Then at the end he was just downright mean to you! He basically said that no matter what you did the law wasn't going to change.

I would save all the correspondence you do and put it in a file, just in case they try to say they didn't say something later on.​

 

[Chicken7777]

Okay Everyone Great News!! Well after the hard work that all of us have put off has worked!!

I am happy to say that the meeting we had in the Central FL area was successful and with the Orlando Sentinel coming out and first talking about the family in Central Fl with the "illegal" poultry (thats me! lol) it has given us a fighting chance and allot of positive comments in trying to change these laws.
It has been soo succesfull that A private non profit organization in Downtown Orlando is with us in trying to change these laws.
So if you guys/we all keep fighting hard and doing the best we can in giving support in this we should have these laws changed very soon.
This also includes the many counties all around Orlando(Central FL) and all around FL where these laws have not yet been changed. So anyone trying to change these laws...HAVE HOPE you can and will very soon....Please keep us updated on your progress as well( b.hromada, anyone else)

Well please click here if you would like to see the news article about the poultry laws/backyard poultry in Orlando in the orlando sentinel newspaper- http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/orange/orl-chickens-kept-at-home-022809,0,1648911.story

Please Leave your positive comments in the link of "Should the rule be changed?" OR click here for the comments area-
http://www.topix.net/forum/source/orlando-sentinel/TRPB43LN39Q08SPNV/p12#lastPost

Once again leave your positive comments as this is going in the right directions..

Thanks again everyone!