A Casselberry, Florida, woman who was facing fines over the four hens in her backyard has convinced the city to take another look at the rule itself. On Monday, commissioners voted unanimously to pause enforcement and have staff draft an ordinance that could make backyard chickens legal. In the meantime, the birds get to stay where they are.
Lindsay Feist had kept the four birds for years before code enforcement caught up with her. According to ClickOrlando, a city employee spotted the coop from a service road. The citation came home with her 15-year-old son: a notice giving her 10 days to either remove the birds or pay a fine.
Keeping backyard hens is currently banned under Casselberry’s city code, something City Manager Randy Newman confirmed. Unincorporated Seminole County, just outside the city, allows residents to keep up to four. Nearby Longwood also runs a backyard chicken program of its own.
The commission plans to take the matter up again at a future meeting, possibly as soon as June 22. Any new rules would still need a formal vote before anything changes for residents. Feist, for her part, is still waiting to learn whether she will have to give up her birds or pay the fine.
How Feist Made Her Case
When the citation landed, it shook Feist’s teenage son, who had always believed his mother was keeping the hens legally. The family had no idea the birds broke city code until the notice spelled it out. For all of them, it came out of nowhere.
Feist took her case to the city commission, armed with signed petitions and a group of supporters ready to speak on her behalf. It worked, at least for the moment. Afterward, she shared a post describing the outcome as a step toward legalizing backyard hens in her neighborhood.
What the Neighbors Have Said
Miguel Valdes, who lives next door, says he has nothing bad to say about the coop. The hens are quiet, by his account, and his family is glad to take the eggs Feist shares with them. To his mind, people growing a little more self-sufficient is something to encourage, not fine.
Carl Brown, who lives nearby, said he had not even known there were chickens in the neighborhood until the dispute came up. The kids and dogs on his street, he added, make more noise than the hens ever do. He sees no reason Feist should not be able to keep hers. For now, her case is still unsettled, though the neighbors who have spoken up are all on her side.