Stuart Residents Can Now Keep Backyard Hens Under New City Ordinance

Stuart City Commission member Bonnie Moser had a confession before Tuesday's vote: she was already breaking the law. "Kids don't know where their food comes from anymore," Moser told her colleagues as she argued for legalizing what she had been doing in her own backyard for some time.

The commission voted 5-2 to approve an ordinance allowing up to four backyard hens on single-family and duplex properties across Stuart. The decision brings the city in line with a growing number of Florida municipalities that have embraced small-scale urban agriculture. Roosters are not permitted under the measure.

For Stuart homeowners in R1A, R1, R2, and urban neighborhood zoning districts, the practical effect is straightforward: apply for a $65 annual permit, build or buy a coop no taller than seven feet, and screen it with fencing or — in a modification approved Tuesday — a hedge. Hens may be kept for egg production as an accessory residential use. The city will offer optional inspections.

Commissioners Crystal and James voted against the ordinance, raising concerns about enforcement capacity and neighborhood impacts as the city extends the allowance citywide rather than limiting it to select districts.

The same meeting produced a sharper dispute over art than agriculture. The commission tabled a proposed mural called "Heritage Vitalis," a colorful, stylized piece selected by Stuart Main Street for the restroom walls at Flagler Park. Artist Samara Ash traveled from Miami to defend her design, arguing it was intended to spark conversation about nature and conservation. The commission was unmoved.

The central objection was anatomical. Commissioner Laughlin questioned whether the pink-hued sailfish in the design accurately depicted the species — a pointed concern in a city that markets itself as the "sailfish capital of the world." Other members raised questions about the selection process itself, noting they were never shown alternative designs submitted in response to the RFP Stuart Main Street had conducted.

The mural will return next month with modifications aimed at making the sailfish more biologically accurate. Stuart Main Street representatives are expected to appear before the commission to walk through how Ash's design was chosen over competing submissions.

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