The Lehigh Acres Community Council held it monthly meeting on Monday, May 4. The meeting was called due to a lack of board attendees, but not before council members announced plans to speak at an upcoming Lee County Commissioners meeting held on Tuesday, May 19 at 9:30 a.m. in regards to allowing backyard chickens in Lehigh Acres.

Petitioners have worked to bring the topic of backyard chickens back in front of Lee County Commissioners again. Resident Heather Scutakes started a change.org petition asking Lee County Commissioners to allow backyard chickens in parts of Lee County. So far the online petition has more than 3,200 signatures and a group of homeschool families in full support.

In 2016, members of the Lehigh Acres Community Council and a group of Lehigh residents in support of backyard chickens, made a plea to Lee County commissioners to consider changing the ordinance presently in place.

“Our council recently passed a resolution to send to Lee County Commissioners in regards to putting the topic of backyard chickens in Lehigh back on to their agenda. Then residents mentioned Heather and the steps she had taken. She reached out to me and we both went before the Board of Commissioners to ask them to add this to their upcoming agenda,” Lehigh Acres Community Council President Chuck Edwards explained.

Scutakes recently spoke to NBC2 News. During the interview she mentioned how having access to a food staple such as eggs is important right now and just makes sense.

“Absolutely it would be safer for us to not have to venture out into the grocery store at a time like this. That’s a big factor. It’s scary to see empty shelves at the grocery store and limits placed on how many items you can buy, especially those staples like eggs,” Scutakes said.

Scutakes also brought up the fact that backyard hens are already allowed on a limited basis in Fort Myers and Bonita Springs.

See the full chicken ordinances for Fort Myers and Bonita Springs.

According to Edwards, the community council members and Scutakes will all be there in support the day of the commissioners meeting.

“Out of the five cities, four have an area where chickens are allowed. In Bonita Springs they are legal. Even in downtown Fort Myers. Why are they allowed to have them and we can’t,” Edwards said. “We hope it does go for a referendum, and that they mention that this will not affect HOA’s. This meeting will be open to the public. They will have social distancing seating, and overflow rooms with cameras,” Edwards said.

Presently there are few places in Southwest Florida that allow homeowners to raise chickens. Until 2011, it wasn’t legal to do so in Lee County unless you lived on agricultural land, but regulations changed in the City of Bonita Springs and the City of Fort Myers.

The Lee County Commissioner’s board meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 19 at 9:30 a.m. inside the Old Lee County Courthouse Commission Chambers, 2120 Main Street, Fort Myers. For more information visit www.leegov.com/bocc/Events