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Noise Ordinance to Get Another Look in Dunedin
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Published: October 27, 2007
DUNEDIN, Fla. - DUNEDIN, Fla. - Here's one more chance for residents to sound off on proposed revisions to the city's noise ordinance.
This Wednesday, the city's Sound Ordinance Taskforce will meet at the Dunedin Community Center to hear a report from an acoustic expert and discuss suggestions in the city's quest to revise its noise ordinance.
The Oct. 31 meeting begins at 1 p.m. The Community Center is at 1920 Pinehurst Road at Michigan Boulevard.
From drum circles to amplified rock music, business owners, especially along Main Street, say they need to provide live music to attract patrons.
A handful of residents living near the downtown complained to the city about what they see as unbearable and unabated noise.
Assistant City Manager Harry Gross said the city would like to have a revised ordinance in place by the winter tourist season. The timing should help those who are bothered by noise from the downtown bars and restaurants, he said.
The city hired a noise consultant to examine the effects of live music downtown, where most complaints originate, Gross said.
The expert concluded unobstructed corridors such as the Fred Marquis Pinellas Trail, Douglas Avenue and Main Street serve to carry sound many blocks away from the downtown core, Gross said.
To combat this, businesses can use noise buffers and realign amplifiers to help isolate surrounding areas from the downtown district, he said.
There are some sounds that cannot be controlled, he noted, like that of people talking late at night while leaving an event.
In residential areas, it's not music that elicits complaints, but rather low frequency sounds such as pool pumps, barking dogs, generators and the sound of an amplified bass.
Everyone agrees there should be a standard for handling noise complaints that is not as arbitrary as it has been in the past, said Gross.
Last year, some business owners complained to the city that a call to the Sheriff's Office from just one person, living near downtown can close down a musical act playing at a local restaurant.
On Wednesday, the task force will take suggestions on how to overhaul the noise ordinance, Gross said.
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