Sarasota Saturday night blackout on sound

On Feb. 8, downtown Sarasota restaurant owners were served with a government notice reminding them of the zoning laws that prohibit the use of amplified music in outdoor seating areas. The letter (see bottom of article) follows a series of public meetings, moderated by City Commissioner Paul Caragiulo, to discuss a possible change to the current sound regulations, extending hours and allowing amplified music outdoors to downtown businesses beyond Mattison’s City Grille.

In response to the letter, several key members of the local music scene, including Ed Midler  and Claire Franklin (co-founders of Sarasota Music Scene and the Noise Ordinance music compilations) helped spread word to local media outlets, ultimately leading to the question---why is this happening now?

Is it a scare tactic? A way for the city of Sarasota to tighten its belt? Is it necessary?Who can say? Perhaps this is just another belt loop holding up the pants on a body of legislation that is already falling to its knees.

I’m happy the letter was drafted. It’s a tangible example of how the sound regulations directly affect downtown businesses. The issuer of the letter (Neighborhood and Development Services) was doing its job.

I wonder if it’s because eat here has been allowing amplified music on its balcony, enraging the residents at Rivo? Or could it be because The Tavern on Main sometimes places a speaker on its patio for patrons to enjoy? To these business owners, what is your response? Sit back and be helpless? Isn't that what the opposition wants?Was anyone downtown on Saturday night after the letter was issued? It was eerily quiet, more so than usual. I kept looking for Ms. "I Don't Think So" Pam Daniel (Editorial Director of Sarasota Magazine) and all the shiny, happy downtown people she writes about, but they were nowhere to be found. I actually had friends questioning if businesses were actually permitted to be open after 10 p.m. anymore. I couldn’t find a sign of life anywhere on the streets except a few patrons on the lounge chairs at Café Epicure and the bar stools at Smoking Joe's. There was no music or activity … anywhere.

In response to total boredom, my friends and I devised a plan that seems popular these days in Sarasota. We decided to panhandle on the corner of 41 and Gulfstream.

"Bitch, get off my corner! I work Fruitville, I work Palm, I work all the way up to Main!"

I had an ulterior motive, drafting a cardboard sign directing people where to purchase my first novel. For everyone else it was the only place to find a sign of life---waving down cars on the median.

So Sarasota doesn’t want to provide nightlife to its citizens? Fine. We’ll entertain ourselves, beginning with the city hall meeting slated for Tuesday, Feb. 19. Word has it that a number of musicians and music enthusiasts will be in attendance to voice their continued concerns about an outdated ordinance that doesn’t belong anywhere in a thriving city. With the Wal-Mart debacle also on the table, it promises to be quite a fireworks show for a city so stringent on sound. But seriously, I can write a thousand articles about sound and hear a thousand people applaud, but nothing will change until there is a change in the law.

Will you attend? If not, you can join me with cardboard next Saturday night on 41 and Gulfstream. I hear these days it’s the most happening fad in Sarasota---a city so progressive.

Sarasota City Hall Meeting

Tuesday, Feb. 19, 2013

6:00 p.m.

Public input is welcome.