PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. — Angelina Smith has maintained a backyard chicken farm in Palm Beach County for two years. Smith said her 10 chickens are now part of the family.
"They all have their own little names," said Smith. "I come out here, they like flock to me."
Small farms like Smith’s are legal in Palm Beach County but not allowed in Port St. Lucie. A petition with over 300 signatures hopes to change that.
Angelina Smith tells WPTV how having chickens has benefited her
One commenter named Courtney, pointed to the rising egg prices and wrote, "Everyone should be allowed this freedom."
Other people mentioned egg shortages, something Smith doesn’t have to worry about.
"I just go to my backyard and I grab eggs when I need it,” said Smith. "If I need to bake a cake, I need two eggs, and I don't have any in the house, I just come to the coop and they're there."
Smith said short term that building a co-op and buying feed can cost a lot, but long term it helps.
"Even if egg prices go up in the store. I don't even recognize it with my grocery bill," said Smith.
Backyard farms are legal in unincorporated St. Lucie County for up to five chickens. Since 2021, 48 people have applied and 13 have been approved. County commissioner Cathy Townsend voted in favor of the ordinance after similar petitions and requests.
"It's worked in the county, and it's working in our neighborhoods," said Smith.
WPTV reached out to the city of Port St Lucie and a spokesperson said the followng:
“Raising chickens has been determined to be incompatible with the city’s design and a population that now surpasses 250,000.”
Townsend told WPTV she thinks the city should reconsider and give residents a crack at it.
"It’s the right thing, especially with the times that we're in today," said Townsend. "It's an animal, it's a pet, it's a need, it's an economic factor."
