Orange County FL Zoning Approved for BackYard Chickens!

[OtownHens]

Hi all-
I am happy to report that the meeting went very well with the Board of County Commissioners. There were only 2 people who spoke and both were in favor of backyard hens. I spoke briefly and then another lady spoke briefly. (Was that you at the meeting OtownBeekeeper?)

I was interviewed by the Orlando Sentinel newspaper after and also by Central Florida News 13 TV.

So no one spoke against the backyard chicken ordinance...which is good. There is 1 more public hearing coming up on July 2 at 2 pm ET. That is the final public hearing and the board will take action at that time.

I feel very confident that this will go through. Orange County Mayor Teresa Jacobs chairs the BCC and she mentioned that she is thinking about doing backyard chickens in her own yard.

Even though everything seems to be heading in the right direction, I am planning on being at the meeting on July 2nd. I would love to have more BYC people from the Orlando area to attend in support of backyard chickens as well. The more people who show up to support this, the more likely it is to pass.

We are so close...Let's get this passed on July 2nd!

 

[melemy]

Hi OTownHens, This is great news. I too live in Orange county Florida. But I live in a neighborhood with an HOA. Our HOA doesn't control what type of animals we can have but it does say that they can't have a shelter outside the home and need to be sheltered in the home. I will do my best to make it to the next meeting. I just found out about this today from doing a Google search on HOAs and Hens. Thank goodness I found it in time to help the cause.

 

[OtownHens]

You may want to double check with Orange County about the type of HOA you are in. My neighborhood has an HOA, but it is voluntary. Which means that we have a long list of rules and regulations, but if we don't follow them, all the HOA can do is send us a nasty letter in the mail. My HOA cannot put a lien against my house or take any legal action. The county can tell you which type of HOA you have and whether they can actually enforce the rules set up for your neighborhood. Good Luck!

 

[Jaybird0215]

Hi!

I live in Orlando (Orange County governance) and am totallllllllly excited about the ordinance being on the verge of passing. I can't be at the meeting, but am sending positive energy and would love to connect and get this chicken thing going!!

My email is [email protected] if you would like to connect and share information, etc.

Thanks,

Jamie

 

[Karikoo77]

I live in unincorporated zoned for agriculture and livestock in Orange County Florida. I need to know if this ordinance is still in effect for my area. I just built my coop and have chickens already. This area is very rural and dirt road access only. If my neighbors can have livestock but I can't have a few chickens without jumping through hoops I am going to have a problem with that.
Anyone I can contact to verify this?
[email protected]
Karen

 

[Karikoo77]

Reading what they are proposing is making me loose my mind. So I will only be allowed 3 hens, so when they all go brooty I will have no eggs. I will not be allowed to kill the birds for food to feed my family and have to take a class on how to care for them so the county can make their money off my wanting to be more self sufficient? A permit will probably need to be paid to county also. I moved out to the boondocks to keep away from the stupid laws and regualtions of idiots in power. Now if this pertains to my area out in the boonies it is uncalled for. They just want to make money off of something that has been around for umm as long as chickens were alive? You have got to be kidding me!

 

[Jaybird0215]

Hi!

I would call the Orange County Code enforcement office and verify your zoning and the activities allowed. If it is an agricultural zone then I would think you are good to go. Most people who are excited about this are us city dwellers who wish we lived in the boondocks!

This is the contact info I found online:

Orange County Code Enforcement
2450 W. 33rd Street, Second Floor
Orlando, FL 32839

Phone: 407-836-3111
Fax: 407-836-4240

 

[OtownHens]

Hi Karikoo77-
This would not apply to you if you are zoned Agricutural or Citrus Rural. This new ordinance applies to residential zoning only, such as R1. Where it has not been legal to raise chickens. For example, I am no where near being in the boonies...wish I did have some acreage out in the middle of nowhere. But, if I stand on my kids swingset, I can see the downtown Orlando skyline about 3 miles north of me.

 

[OtownHens]

The final meeting for Backyard Chickens for Orange County FL is Tuesday 7/2/2013 at 2 pm. This is the meeting where the Board of County Commissioners actually votes on changing the ordinance. Looks like the chickens are the 3rd item on the agenda. I will be there to speak in favor of passing this. In previous meetings, no one has shown up to speak against it. So, I am hoping this passes without any dissention. I plan on bringing a few friends along, just to show a bigger crowd in support of this ordinance. If you have the time free, please stop by the meeting to show support. 201 S. Rosalind Ave, County Commission Chambers, 1st Floor County Administration Center.

 

[OtownHens]

We ran into a small roadblock at the meeting today. Two people spoke against the ordinance for backyard chickens. One lady was in tears complaining about how her neighbors had chickens and it caused a raccoon to take up residence in her attic and do thousands of dollars worth of damage. Another person complained that chickens draw mice and rats. Both complaints were addressed by the gentleman from the Agricultural Extension office who said this would not be a problem with proper maintenance of the coop and proper storage of the feed. But the Board seemed to be a little scared of this and recommended looking into this more and adjusting the ordinance to make this a trial period that would end in 2 years. They also want to look into a way to revoke a permit for anyone who was not maintaining their coop properly and causing problems for their neighbors. So, the postponed the vote until August 6. I spoke in favor of the ordinance, but it was not enough. It looks like we will need more people showing up in favor of chickens on August 6 in order to get this to pass. Please pass this around to all your friends. We need people to speak in favor of this ordinance on August 6. I will provide more details on the meeting as the date gets closer.