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Karen Morris of Fort Myers has claimed that the Residents Association of her mobile home village and Lee County have violated the Fair Housing Act by demanding she rehome her four chickens or face eviction. Lee County says that she's violating zoning codes by keeping them. Now both parties are going to federal court.
Morris claims that the four chickens are her emotional support pets and have helped her recover from PTSD. "They're emotional comfort animals. They live in my home," Morris said to WFTX-TV. "My psychiatrist provided them a letter to acknowledge that an emotional support animal is beneficial to somebody with mental health difficulties."
Lee County, through a code enforcement proceeding hearing, has ordered Morris to pay $285 in fines and rehome her chickens in 30 days or face a daily $25 fee for every day she stays in defiance of the ordinance. It's a motion that Morris is battling.
"It was actually over very quickly. It was just to point out the fact that Lee County has a 'no chicken' law and it is a code violation. Am I still in code violation? Do I plan on removing the chickens? No," said Morris. "I'm disappointed in the fact that those chickens live in my private home that I pay mortgage on, and how people that done live in my house that are affected by this are so interested in being apart of it."
She told Fox News that she has an attorney, Marcy LaHart, who is planning on filing a federal lawsuit claiming that the county has violated her civil rights. By demanding she rid herself of her support animals, she claims the Residents Association is violating the Fair Housing Act by discriminating against a disabled woman.
"I will be immediately moving for a temporary restraining order asking that a judge order the county to not take any further legal action until the federal case has been resolved on its merits," LaHart told WFTX-TV.
Morris expressed her disappointment with the county's decisions. "It's just disappointing, but you know God doesn't close a door unless he's got four open windows," Morris said to WWBH-TV. "My girls have changed my life in a positive way and I'm not removing them. All my family members—my mom, my dad, my brother, my husband are all deceased. The girls are all I have."
"The County Attorney's Office intends to vigorously defend the case," said a representative for Lee County to WWBH-TV.
