Make TBO Your Home Page| Subscribe To The Paper| Advertise With Us| Contact Us| Login| Edit Profile| Register
Suncoast Pinellas News
Email
Print
Dunedin Noise Rule Hearing Wednesday
ADVERTISEMENT
Published: July 7, 2008
DUNEDIN -- The latest attempt by the city to regulate amplified music in and around the downtown entertainment district will be debated Wednesday night by the Local Planning Agency.
Restaurateurs in the city's downtown favor a decibel-based ordinance that would not permit a handful of nearby residents to stop outdoor musical performances by merely calling in a complaint to the Sheriff's Office.
Residents living near the downtown area have told city officials they should not have to endure listening to hours of loud music in their homes at all hours.
The LPA meets at 6:30 p.m. July 9 at City Hall to consider the ordinance that would enact the noise rule changes.
The City Commission will then consider the ordinance at its Aug. 7 and Aug. 21 meetings, at City Hall.
After more than year of meeting, members of the task force the City Commission formed to revise the city's amplified music and noise ordinance reached a near stalemate. Some restaurant owners walked out of the last meeting.
In the ordinance revision to be considered Wednesday, city staff is recommending that amplified music and other noise not exceed 65 decibels. Alleged violations will be measured from the properly line of the person making the complaint, rather than the offending business.
In addition, amplified music could not be played outdoors after 11 p.m.
John Lewis, owner and head chef at Le Maison Gourmet, which offers music on its patio, said the ordinance sounds like a good compromise. Most establishments that offer music, however, wanted to see a higher decibel level, Lewis, a member of the noise task force, said.
Another task force member, Frank Baiamonte, owner of the Meranova Guest Inn, a downtown bed and breakfast, said he is greatly disappointed by the recommended noise rule changes.
Baiamonte wants the job of regulating music left in the hands of the business owners, not the Sheriff's Office. If there were a complaint, the matter should go before an arbitrator, who potentially could strip a business of its permit to have outdoor music, he said.
The 65 decibel threshold is probably too high in cases where houses are near to businesses offering music, Baiamonte believes.
Email
Print
ADVERTISEMENT
Advertisement
TBO.com - Tampa Bay Online ©2009 Media General Communications Holdings, LLC. A Media General company. Member Agreement | Privacy Statement | Work With Us
