A passing motorcycle and a guitar riff. Both produce sound, but is music “noise?”
Some people in Bradenton Beach say music is not noise and should not be covered by the city noise ordinance.
“Music is not noise. What you are talking about is a ban on music,” said Gary Drouin, a musician and sound engineer who spoke to Bradenton Beach commissioners and Mayor Bill Shearon during a May 9 workshop at city hall.
Live entertainment at the Freckled Fin Restaurant and Public House, 101 Bridge St., led to owner Scott Lubore’s April 5 arrest for a misdemeanor noise violation following multiple warnings from the Bradenton Beach Police Department.
The arrest prompted a response from the community and the commission has held workshops to get public input on the noise matter.
Employees and business owners on Bridge Street claim the music draws people to the area, which increases revenue in the city.
However, residents who live close to venues with outdoor music say it’s disruptive and that it’s ruining the character of the once sleepy beach-town. They say people are leaving the city as a result.
The city is trying to promote harmony.
Officers use a decibel meter to determine noise levels. According to the ordinance, sound cannot exceed 75 decibels past 10 p.m. on weekends in the commercial district, which includes Bridge Street.
People representing live music venues, including the Freckled Fin and Island Time Bar and Grill, 111 Gulf Drive S., claim it is impossible to keep music below 75 decibels to be enjoyed by their audience, and ambient noise from Gulf Drive, including motorcycles and buses, needs to be taken into consideration.
Additionally, as summer approaches and days get longer, people are going out later in the evening, according to Lubore.
Lubore said people tend to go out after sunset and are disappointed to find the music winding down as they are seated. “The musicians are getting into it, the people are getting into it, then it just drops,” Lubore said May 9.
Additionally, he said he is providing a service that Manatee County is promoting to tourists.
“We’re serving the families that the commission spends a lot of money to bring to these beaches,” Lubore said May 9.
Mayor Bill Shearon said he does not see many families with children at night on Bridge Street after 10 p.m.
Bradenton Beach Police Chief Sam Speciale said the city commission might consider a “trial period,” extending the 75-decibel limit until midnight on weekends and holidays.
The city of Bradenton, facing similar issues with live music establishments downtown, in March extended its noise ordinance to allow up to 75 decibels until midnight.
Additionally, Speciale said officers take a decibel reading from the “point of complaint,” which can vary, so it might be beneficial to set points for each venue at 100 feet from the property line, which could eliminate confusion regarding as to where the reading was taken.
The commission agreed more discussion is needed and instructed the city clerk to schedule another workshop.
“At 2 a.m., you used to be able to hear a dime drop on Bridge Street, but it’s not like that anymore,” Speciale said. “As Bridge Street grows, the city must grow with it.”
We don’t live there but do vacation there and we stay in the condos across the street. We hear the music and it interferes with our rest and relaxation that we go there for. It’s too loud. We may have to find a different beach if you can’t lower the volume of the music. It saddens me that you don’t want to take into consideration of those there for the relaxation . Compromise and at least take the music inside and close the doors.