City resident Chris Hover stood up at the New Port Richey City Council meeting on Tuesday night and asked council members to consider a noise ordinance to limit the number of hours that one of the city’s biggest business boons is allowed to play music.

Hovert said that he hears music on weekends and some weeknights during special events from as early as 6:30 PM to as late as 2:00 AM. “Even with the windows shut,” he said, “it is loud enough to hear over the television.” Hovert also said that he understood the difficult spot the City is in when it comes to noise and redevelopment. “I know the City is working very hard to revitalize the downtown area and to combat visual blight,” he said, “but may I also suggest that it is equally important to address noise pollution. It is little wonder to me that so many properties downtown are renter-occupied.”

Council members immediately asked City staff about solutions, and were told that a new noise ordinance is currently being written. “We are in the draft stages of a noise ordinance which we expect to be able to present to you,” said City Manager Debbie Manns, “…to control better than our current ordinance our ability to regulate sound from local establishments into the residential neighborhoods.”

Manns’ comment seems to directly refer to Section 14-21 of the City Code regarding noise which prohibits “loud or raucous” noises. The ordinance does not specify a specific level of noise in decibels. However, subsection 6 of 14-22 prohibits “Yelling or shouting,” and includes singing, at “loud or raucous” levels between the hours of 9:00 PM and 7:00 AM. That section would make it appear that Dulcet is in violation if they are using live music. There is another section prohibiting loud speakers and radios, which might apply to recorded music. You can read the full ordinance here.

“I wasn’t aware that they had reggae night was going on until 2 AM,” said Councilman Jeff Starkey. “I know we’ve had issues with the low frequency sounds because that stuff does transmit really bad,” said Mayor Rob Marlowe. No date was released at which the new ordinance will be considered.

Asked for comment, Dulcet representatives said that “it’s something definitely worth looking into. We have not received many direct complaints to us. Our noise level is also on par with local bars that play music outside when read with a decibel level meter… our customers and local community are our priority.”

by Jon Tietz