Since last Monday night at the Lehigh Acres Community Council Meeting, the council decided not to move the proposal forward to the Lee County Commissioners.
According to Richard Anglickis 1st VP and President Mohammad Yasin of the Lehigh Acres Community Council said their bylaws were not followed during the vote last month.
It was voted 6 to 5 Monday night needing 8 for 2/3 vote to send a letter to the County Commissioners. So the backyard chicken’s proposal was approved but now does not have the votes to go forward to the Commissioners.
County Attorney Richard Wesch has told the five county commissioners by email again that changing zoning to allow chickens to be raised on the property must be applied across all sections of the unincorporated county that carry the same zoning designation, Lehigh Acres can’t go it alone.
According to Frank Mann Commissioner for Lehigh Acres Dist 5, said the proposal is not going to be brought forward at the next meeting in August.
A few dozen residents of Lehigh Acres including Chuck Edwards have vowed to press on with a movement to legalize backyard chickens in Lehigh Acres.
According to Edwards the group looking petitioning for a ballot question in the next county wide election in 2018 and possibly start a new Citizens Council for Lehigh Acres.
All backyard chickens are currently illegal in the unincorporated areas of the county zoned for residential and owners can fined by Lee County Code Enforcement.
What is wrong with having chickens as long as they do not run loose? Have a fence and do not make a lot of noise. People like to raise their vegetables to eat. Does that mean they have to have agricultural? chickens give us eggs, what is wrong with that? As long as there are rules people have a right to have a small amount of chickens.