St. Petersburg’s Planning and Economic Development Department set another date in its re-evaluation of a 2016 amendment to a city noise ordinance.
It will be the second public meeting on the noise ordinance and will be 6 p.m. Wednesday, March 29, at Sunshine Center in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce advocacy manager Travis Norton said Tuesday.
In 2016, the city officials amended the noise ordinance to accommodate residents and businesses. It requires bars and restaurants with outdoor speakers to point them toward customers, not away from the establishment.
The meeting Wednesday is designed to gain more input from the community on potential changes to how the city measures noise decibels and review a framework for its amendment.
“Right now, if someone makes a complaint, they have to go out and actually measure the decibels,” Norton said by phone.
Part of the problem is the ordinance calls for “audible” levels, not decibels. The meeting will partially be used to iron out those issues and bring a common-sense approach to the matter.