JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Jacksonville City Council members are looking into changing to the city’s noise ordinance, which has not seen major changes in decades.
“It is very complicated,” said Councilmember Jimmy Peluso (D-District 7).
That was one of the main takeaways as city council members kicked off talks during a noticed meeting Tuesday.
Council members Peluso and Raul Arias (R-District 11) led the conversation, aiming to provide more flexibility for businesses downtown, but also address concerns from residents like Penny Hart who said repeat offenders in their neighborhoods aren’t being held accountable.
“Here are the 91 calls that JSO has received about this property in the last year and a half, and 99 percent of them are noise complaints,” said Hart.
Under the current ordinance, noise levels for commercial properties anywhere in the city are restricted to 60 decibels during the day and 55 at night.
“A vacuum cleaner is 75 decibels, so let’s just start with that right?” said Arias.
Arias explained there’s no way to get an exception to the baseline noise restrictions anywhere in the city as it stands now, and there have been examples like a New Year’s Eve party on the USS Orleck running into issues.
Even major events like Jazz Fest don’t have any true way of getting permission to crank up the volume or extend hours past 11 PM.
With recent changes like extending hours for alcohol sales and allowing restaurants to offer sidewalk seating and service, Arias argued addressing the city’s outdated noise ordinance is the next major piece of the downtown activation puzzle.
He said he wants to consider extending hours, increasing decibel levels, or even offer special permits to allow for more flexibility downtown.
“Maybe go to 80 or 85. That way that restaurant could have a little bit of live music. I’m not saying go to 105; maybe we do for larger events that are permitted events,” said Arias.
But Councilmember Peluso said he also wants to ensure the city’s noise ordinance is actually enforced, especially in more residential parts of town.
He cited a lack of noise meters and limited staffing within the city’s Environmental Quality Division as potential areas that could be improved.
“If somebody is getting called out for a violation of that noise ordinance and no one has a meter, we can’t do anything about it. No one can use their best judgement,” said Peluso.
And Peluso said they may mean setting different rules for different types of communities like residential-only neighborhoods, mixed-use areas and strictly commercial districts.
“So, we’re trying to find, not a one-size-fits-all. I think we’re trying to find different communities, different neighborhoods, different parts of our city and best practices to ensure we have, you know, how does it work here, how does it work there,” said Peluso.
Councilmember Arias said he wants to see a special committee convened to take a holistic look at reforming the city’s noise ordinance.
He suggested multiple bills could be filed to address various concerns highlighted in Tuesday’s meeting.
“There’s so many different parts to it, and so many different departments are gonna be involved in this conversation that we have to make sure that we do it phase by phase, but also deliberately and just something that makes sense for the greater part of Jacksonville,” said Arias.
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