City Commission to evaluate sound ordinance after polarizing debate

City commissioners held a public hearing on noise issues last week, prompting a renewed debate between between nearby residents and those who enjoy downtown festivities through entertainment businesses and music.

Commissioners decided that they wanted to further evaluate the current sound standards before making any changes to protocol. Mayor Erik Arroyo said more time is needed before a change could be made, but he believes a solution that would be agreed upon by both sides is possible.

“I believe we can find a happy median," he said. "I don’t think we can do that right now, but we can come back and maybe have a special meeting. But we don’t have all the information. Our city attorney should speak with SPD so we can craft a policy that makes sense for everyone."

Most of the commissioners agreed that general noise, such as music being played from vehicles, should be limited and has been seen as a nuisance. How to enforce that, however, was not resolved by the commissioners.

The current sound ordinance limits music coming from a business at 60 decibels. Commissioner Hagen Brody said he would like to understand what that sounds like to better understand if the limit should be reduced, increased or be left untouched. According the the CDC, 60 decibels is equivalent to the volume of a normal conversation or an air conditioner.

“Either we tighten regulations or loosen them,” Brody said. “It’s a lay person opinion to say what’s too loud. I would like to know what 60 decibels sounds like. I know SPD has the equipment, but do most people know what 60 decibels is?”

Vice Mayor Kyle Battie said the issue would best be resolved if businesses knew beforehand what the sound limits were. He said the best way to discover what the limits should be is to hire an expert or acoustical consultant.

Battie also said it was important to understand that the complaints were about noise in the urban core of Sarasota. He said that as the city grows and is developed, it is important to maintain Sarasota’s status as a destination for entertainment businesses.

“If we continue to allow people to build how they want to build, it’s going to be an ongoing issue,” Battie said. “It may cost more money to build in that way, but hey, you’ve got to pay to play. Sarasota is a destination city for developers, and they’re going to have to spend the extra money to build that way.”

Resident John McQuiston has lived in Sarasota for 10 years and said the noise levels have been unacceptable. He said restaurants, bars and special events have caused the unacceptable disturbances.

McQuiston provided an example to commissioners that led him to call the police. A music festival at The Gator Club last year was supposed to end at midnight, but the noise continued after that time.

“The event was supposed to end at midnight, but the music continued, so I called the police at 12:15,” McQuiston said. “The sound was the equivalent of having your television on as loud as it can go, with a higher bass level. It was impossible to sleep. I’ve been to a Led Zeppelin concert, and it wasn’t as loud as what was coming from The Gator Club that evening.”

A Sarasota resident with similar concerns compiled a list of the 75 noisiest areas of Sarasota based on SPD report data. The Gator Club, located on Main Street near Lemon Avenue, was 13th on that list by receiving 29 noise complaint reports.

Another area on Main Street closer to the western end topped the list with 119 noise complaint reports since 2019. While the downtown area was one of the noisiest one the list, resident Shantel Norman said it is important to allow music in the city.

“I sing a lot here in Sarasota. Music means a lot to me,” Norman said. “I do a lot of events, and we put on the reggae block party at The Gator Club. A lot of these same people came out and enjoyed the music without a complaint. The police have come to enforce the music, but they don’t know where to enforce it at.”

“I have kids here, and I want them to enjoy Sarasota,” Norman continued. “We want our kids to live here with a vibrant life with culture and music. I meet people from all over the world that want to move here because of the music, the bars and the arts. It means a lot to me.”