St. Lucie County mulls allowing pigs in residential areas, but there's disagreement on details
ST. LUCIE COUNTY — A plan to allow pigs to be raised on some residential lots faces an uncertain future, as county commissioners voiced concerns Tuesday and instructed staff to continue discussions with stakeholders.
The aim would be to allow students who participate in 4-H or Future Farmers of America to temporarily raise show pigs at their homes in the weeks leading up to the county fair. But it faced opposition.
Restrictions may limit participation
Leaders of the FFA chapter at Fort Pierce Westwood High School, who were at the meeting to give a demonstration of parliamentary procedure, also contributed to the discussion, bringing up some of their own concerns.
Among them: who can keep a pig and for how long. A draft of regulations limits the program to certain residentially zoned properties larger than 1 acre, allows one pig per 4-H or FFA student with a maximum of two pigs per acre, requires buffering and setbacks and limits their presence to 16 weeks in preparation for showing at the St. Lucie County Fair. The program also would have required registration and inspection.
The FFA members voiced particular concerns about the 16-week limit. Many students show their pigs at multiple shows on the so-called "swine circuit," and not just at the St. Lucie County Fair. For them, the time limit likely would limit their ability to keep pigs at home.
Commissioners split on issue
Commissioner Jamie Fowler said the statements from the FFA members made a big impact on her.
"Obviously a 16-week certificate isn't going to work in some cases," Fowler said. "I think we need to keep the conversation going. I don't think we're there yet."
Commissioner Larry Leet, who voiced support for allowing animals on larger residential properties, said he had an issue with the specific language of the draft. Naming 4-H or FFA specifically might be "exclusionary," Leet said, and he wanted to ensure it would not be legally improper.
Commissioners Chris Dzadovsky and Linda Bartz, though, voiced stronger opposition to the concept itself.
Allowing pigs could be seen by existing residents as adding a nuisance, Dzadovsky said, while making clear his general support for 4-H and FFA.
"My concern is that it really doesn't fit the residential classification," Dzadovsky said. "I can't support this if it comes forward."
Bartz, too, emphasized the difference between residential and agricultural zoning, but she left the door open to further discussion.
"I think that we still have more work to do," Bartz said. "Initially, I was a hard no."
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Chair backs program, making it legal
That left Commission Chair Cathy Townsend, who has been involved in conversations around the creation of such a program for months.
"I'm on the opposite side of the fence," Townsend told Dzadovsky.
In addition to wanting to do everything she can to support 4-H and FFA, Townsend said, the commission needs to address an issue that has been brought up to her by residents.
"There's parents and families doing it right now, so this is a path forward to doing it legally," Townsend said.
Wicker Perlis is TCPalm's Watchdog Reporter for St. Lucie County. You can reach him at wicker.perlis@tcpalm.com and 504-331-0516.
This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: See details of latest backyard pigs plan in residential St. Lucie County
