To the Readers and, especially Writers, on this post, there is a young man who
needs your
help!
I had sent the following message to the people elected/appointed to office to SERVE the PEOPLE...and I haven't, yet, received a response from any one of them.
Would you, if you are so inclined, email an impassioned plea to:
People to Contact to get this
Law Changed and to start making a difference!
UPDATE1.Zoning Divisions Manager- Mitch Gordon-Email:
[email protected] (Contact him FIRST because he is the one that will take this further!) UPDATE We do not need to contact him anymore until futhur notice....he tells us to now just contact the board of directors below......PLEASE DO!
2. Legislative Senator of the State of Florida- Mel Martinez-
http://martinez.senate.gov/public/index
ontactForm
PLEASE CONTACT HIM TO ADD THIS POULTRY LAW CHANGE TO ALL OF FLORIDA!!!!!!! AND FOR HIS SUPPORT!!!
BOARD OF COMMISIONERS THAT WILL GET THIS PASSED!
District 1 commisioner- S. Scott Boyd Email:
[email protected]
District 2 commisioner- Fred Brummer Email:
[email protected]
District 3 commisioner- Mildred Fernandez Email:
[email protected]
District 4 commisioner- Linda Stewart Email:
[email protected]
District 5 commisioner- Bill Segal Email:
[email protected]
District 6 commisioner- Tiffany Moore Russell Email:
[email protected]
AND IF YOU REALLY WANT TO HELP..........................................
9. Mayor Richard T. Crotty Email:
[email protected]
And, finally, I know there are excellent links out there to newspapers (USA Today, for example) that have run similar stories to this, but if someone has the technical skills to navigate the Orlando Sentinel's website to submit a story, PLEASE, take the time to do so.
Here's what I wrote, and to whom -
Dear Mayor, Richard Crotty, Zoning Division Manager, Mitch Gordon, Zoning Division Supervisor, Carol Hossfield, and distinguished Commissioners -
I am sitting here with my daughter, Madeline, age eleven, and answered her question, "why would this young man ask you to help him?"
My response was, "If you know something about a topic, and can share that information with the right people to correct a wrong, don't you have the responsibility to do so?" She agreed, but wondered what the "wrong" was.
I asked her, "Which smells worse: dog poo or chicken poo?" She replied, "They both stink about the same."
I asked her, "Which is louder: a barking dog, or a clucking hen?" She laughed, and said, "The dog...duh!"
I asked her, "Which poses a greater danger to a child on the sidewalk: a pit bull terrier, or a hen?" She giggled, and said, "The pit bull."
I asked her, "Which animal contributes more to a family's well being: a dog or a chicken?" She thought about it for a moment, and then quickly replied, "A chicken can lay eggs and fresh eggs are great for breakfast. Fried chicken is good, too!"
Orange County, Florida, has ordinances and zoning regulations that make it illegal to keep chickens, even in limited numbers, according to a very nice young man who recently was visited by the police due to a neighbor (presumably) complaining about five hens. He would like to be able to keep his small collection of five hens. As a resident of Lake County, and living on five acres surrounded by orange groves, he asked me to make an appeal on his behalf, and weigh in on the pros and cons of domestic fowl.
Chickens are no more "dirty" than dogs, cats, or some people unless they are neglected, crowded, or abused. Chickens are not loud. Chickens are not destructive. Even the argument that chickens will destroy us with Avian Influenza doesn't hold much sway as every winged bird poses the same risk; will we kill every chickadee and shoot at every robin? Chickens are a little different for people who have been seperated from the reality of food production for a generation or two, but people in cities, towns, and villages all over the world keep chickens for some very obvious reasons. I admire this young man's desire to try to be a little more self-supportive. I also admire his attempt to lower his "carbon footprint," by keeping some food production in his own backyard. More Americans should be like minded. "Victory Gardens" were all the rage when America needed to conserve and reduce energy and supply inputs in the U.S. to support a campaign abroad; what makes keeping small livestock...a few rabbits, a few hens, a beehive or two, so radically different. The keeping of backyard chickens also creates a "gene bank" for the future. I feel confident that the major poultry houses will one day need those heritage breeds of chickens, in the many shapes and colors, to keep industrial food production possible. Please, advise us as to what needs to be done to get a variance for this gentleman?
Thank you for any help you can provide.
Sincerely,
Brandon Hudgens
