- Aug 21, 2010
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I did keep a few chickens several decades ago, but am now in a new location in a town (St Augustine Beach, FL) which has an ordinance against keeping any livestock, including poultry, in one's back yard. For purposes of local sustainability, health, happy chickens, I want to keep 4 hens for eggs my spouse and I. I am mostly retired (work once in a while as an RN) and learned about this terrific website from google. This month I have appeared before the St Aug Beach Commissioners, then the Planning and Zoning Board. They are willing to recommend to the commissioners that chickens be allowed on a "conditional use" basis, each person applying for that right, along with paying what now amounts to about $300! I am pushing for simply a change in ordinance, or with a license with a reasonable fee. For folks who are strapped for money, and are hoping to save a little with their chickens, $300 is undoable. I want to make this change not only for me, but for our community.
The next commissioners' meeting, next month, I'm planning to bring as many people who I can corral to the meeting, who will hopefully volunteer a few positive words. I have already passed out literature (from the internet) which is in support of chickens, to the commissioners. So far, planning and zoning's objections seem to be primarily the difficulty of enforcing the proposed chicken-keeping laws, the salmonella issue, and the perils of feral chickens, a few of which are loose in town (though I haven't seen them). This area is a pretty conservative one, although St Augustine itself (not the Beach) does NOT have an ordinance against chickens (this seems to make no difference either).
Any suggestions are appreciated, and should there be any local folk reading this, please contact me about showing for the meeting Sept 20.
The next commissioners' meeting, next month, I'm planning to bring as many people who I can corral to the meeting, who will hopefully volunteer a few positive words. I have already passed out literature (from the internet) which is in support of chickens, to the commissioners. So far, planning and zoning's objections seem to be primarily the difficulty of enforcing the proposed chicken-keeping laws, the salmonella issue, and the perils of feral chickens, a few of which are loose in town (though I haven't seen them). This area is a pretty conservative one, although St Augustine itself (not the Beach) does NOT have an ordinance against chickens (this seems to make no difference either).
Any suggestions are appreciated, and should there be any local folk reading this, please contact me about showing for the meeting Sept 20.
