Spotlight Shifts to North Port Chicken Ordinance

As you may recall, North Port planning staff has been working since January 14th on an ordinance to make it possible to have chickens in the city -- that's when four commissioners discussed the possibility at a workshop. The idea was to have an ordinance similar to the one in the City of Sarasota. If you would like to know their thoughts at the time, (which seemed split two-to-two) click on this text. 

Now the North Port Chicken Ordinance is taking shape and is about to begin its public journey -- hopefully to adoption. Here is the current schedule, but check back, because things can change.


At 9:00 am on Thursday April 4th, the ordinance drafted by staff will be presented to the Planning and Zoning Advisory Board, the seven member citizen board that makes recommendation on land use and the comprehensive plan. They will take brief comments from the public at that time, but it would be better to contact them in advance, learn what their concerns are and address them. We'll try to get email addresses for them because citizen's can communicate with them in advance.

Current members of the PZAB include:James Glass, Chair, Fred E. Tower, III, Vice-Chair, John Metzger, Paul Morgan, Patricia Tantum, Kenneth Maturo, Walter Grzesnikowski, Norbert Schneider, Alternate 1, Lorenzo Whitehead, Alternate 2

If you would like a copy of the staff's proposed draft in advance, please email the City Clerk, Helen Raimbeau: hraimbeau@cityofnorthport.com and request a copy of the backup material for the chicken ordinance agenda item for the April 4 PZAB meeting. 

Then at 6:00 pm on Monday April 22nd, the Chicken Ordinance drafted by staff and any recommendations from the PZAB will be presented to Commission for first reading. (The process for approval of amending the City Code requires 2 readings of an Ordinance at 2 Commission public meetings.) The Commission may amend the text drafted by staff. In order for the City Code to be changed to allow for backyard chickens, the Ordinance must receive a majority vote of Commission to continue to the second (final) reading.

Finally, if the chickens cleared the first reading hurdle, on Monday May 13th at 1:00 pm there will be a second reading. If approved by a majority of the board, it would become law. 

If you want to be kept informed about any developments related to the North Port Chicken Ordinance, please send a brief email to SarasotaCLUCK@gmail.com and asked to be put on the North Port list.