CLUCK says: Today is the day!

Sometime late tonight the City Commission will vote on a proposal to re-legalize backyard hens in the city of Sarasota. There are many ways this volunteer citizen initiative could have run off the rails.

If CLUCK wasn't in substantial agreement with the ordinance drafted by staff,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If backyard chickens didn't lay eggs nutritionally and gustatorily superior to storebought,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If the Planning Board had rejected the idea 5-0,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and if the Sarasota Herald-Tribune hadn't warmed to the idea and endorsed it, 

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If CCNA had voted to oppose the ordinance,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If we had adopted a fixed position and refused to change or compromise,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and if staff were no longer supporting their draft, 

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If the Pelican Press hadn't taken an open-minded stance,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If chickens posed a greater public health risk than dogs and cats,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If dozens of other cities hadn't gone before and proved it could work,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If chickens were the size of goats or pigs,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If only a handful of people wanted chickens in the City,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If there was strong evidence there would be significant enforcement issues,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If we hadn't demonstrated a commitment to education and responsible ownership,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission

and If we didn't know of multiple people keeping chickens illegally with no neighbor complaints,

there would be no point bringing this to the Commission.

But none of these things happened, so we are bringing this to the Commission with high expectations.