Town commission wants permanent peacock fix

They’re ba-ack — the Longbeach Village peacocks, that is.

And when the population rises, the debate the birds bring to Longboat Key Town Hall becomes a sound almost as familiar as their distinct mating calls.

But the Longboat Key Town Commission is tired of giving money to the Longbeach Village Association to control the population that swells every couple years.

To fix the problem, they want town staff to investigate the problem and find a permanent solution. 

“We’ve made this a neighborhood problem in the past,” said Mayor Jack Duncan at Monday’s regular commission workshop. “But what’s apparent is, it’s a town problem that needs addressed with a serious plan.”

Town Manager Dave Bullock presented a timeline that showed amounts of money the town has provided the Village in the past.

“As long as there are living peacocks on this island, you’ll never be out of the peacock business,” Bullock said. “The town has wrestled with this issue many times.”

In March, Village resident James Braha, charged with taking care of a growing peacock population, told the Longboat Observer he surrendered to the peacocks. 

“The birds are pooping all over my driveway,” he said. “I’m supposed to be in charge of this problem, and there’s nothing I can do. I yell at the peacocks and throw things at them but they don’t go away. They just multiply.”

Braha estimates there are 85 to 100 peacocks that coexist with humans in the Village. Braha and other Villagers say they can’t find a reputable trapper to reduce the flock to 12 male birds, which was the direction the Village and the town agreed upon in 2010. 

Lands End resident and District 5 Commissioner Pat Zunz said Monday she recently saw a nest with 13 peacock eggs in it.

“The numbers have increased considerably, and something should probably be done,” Zunz said.

Vice Mayor Terry Gans said if the peacock problem was going to be handled, the town should take care of it. 

“The town is more suited to manage this type of thing more than a collection of residents in a neighborhood,” Gans said. “A plan of action is needed.”

The commission gave Bullock direction to formulate a plan for ongoing control of the peacocks that the town would manage. Staff will report back with the cost and constraints involved.