Will Chickens Come Home to Roost in Winter Park?

    When Herbert Hoover ran for President in 1928, his campaign promised "a chicken in every pot." Now, some members of the Winter Park commission have hatched a plan do the same, literally, with backyard chicken pens. The problem is, not everyone likes the idea. I, for one, would much rather enjoy a porterhouse steak, or some pork chops! And what of the chickens themselves? Hasn't anyone bothered to ask them, or the roosters?!

    If you think these questions are just as preposterous as backyard chickens, then you're in good company: a recent poll found a majority of Winter Park residents disagreed with the idea, especially the chickens! But joking aside, Todd Weaver and the Winter Park commission, indeed, have seriously begun contemplating this cock-amamie idea by voting to support a backyard chicken pilot program But some people say the commission's decision to implement this program will look more like the pilot episode of the Beverly Hillbillies than a progressive step toward sustainability (though Buddy Ebsen did attend Rollins).

    We think a better way to preserve the vitality of the city is to remain focused on the things people really care about, like jobs and growth. Though this isn't the only outthere agenda item brought up at Winter Park's commission meetings, it is certainly in the runner up category, right there with re-segregating our political system, an idea commissioner Marty Sullivan has sought to champion. While members of the Winter Park commission debate backyard chickens and the merits of Jim Crow-like policies, the rest of the community suffers under the economic and health ravages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

    But the commission shouldn't count their eggs before they hatch. Voters are watching, and one day, the chickens will come home to roost!