In Ybor, how much noise is too much?

It's an attraction for club visitors, a nuisance for residents. The city hires a noise consultant to review the issue.

By RON MATUS, Times Staff Writer
© St. Petersburg Times
published August 30, 2002

YBOR CITY -- Everybody knows Seventh Avenue rocks. But how loud does it really get?

According to critics, loud enough to rattle windows two blocks away.

Loud enough to keep police officers from hearing their radios.

Loud enough, even, to shake mortar off Ybor's old buildings.

"I tell people I don't ever have to dust my Venetian blinds because they shake," said Tommy Stephens, who lives on Fifth Avenue, two blocks south of the strip. "People laugh, but it's true."

To address those concerns, a city-hired noise expert is monitoring Seventh Avenue to see if the city's 3-year-old noise ordinance needs tweaking. Results are expected by November.

Change sounds inevitable.

"Clearly the noise ordinance we have in place is not working," said City Council member Bob Buckhorn. "And clearly we have some folks who think they're above the law."

Noise has been an issue in Ybor for years. Up to 10,000 people a night swarm Seventh Avenue, drawn to bars with live bands and clubs pumping dance music from giant speakers.

Noise is part of the attraction, which creates a dilemma.

"You come down here for a good time," said Gene Grabowski, 26, standing outside Masquerade on Saturday night. "Yes, it's noisy, but you come down here to party."

"If they eliminate the noise, it won't be a draw," agreed Tami Wallace, general manager of Adobe Gila's, which features bands or DJs five nights a week. "This is supposed to be the famous Ybor City. What's wrong with a little bit of noise?"

The current ordinance bans night club noise over 85 decibels, measured from the middle of the street.

The consultant, RBK Architects, will assess whether 85 decibels is an appropriate threshold, and whether measurements should be taken closer to the clubs, said Vince Pardo, president of the Ybor City Development Corp.

RBK will also consider whether inspectors should take separate readings for bass levels, Pardo said.

Preservationists fear the steady boom-boom-boom of bass-heavy vibrations harms not only ear drums but "the structural integrity of the buildings," Pardo said.

They point to crumbly piles of fallen mortar as proof.

City code enforcement manager Bill Doherty said Ybor is quieter than it used to be, thanks to the 1999 ordinance. But complaints still come.

"I've had as much as 77 or 80 decibels in my back yard," said Stephens, who is president of the Historic Ybor Neighborhood Civic Association.

That was a year ago. Things got better when the offending club closed, Stephens said. But there are always new clubs, and old clubs that occasionally point speakers outward to draw customers.

"We know we got to live here and put up with some of it," Stephens said. "But some of it is ridiculous."

City officials said many complaints come from newer residents -- those flocking to the upscale apartments and condominiums springing up around the business district.

That perplexes some club owners.

"You would assume people are being told, 'You are moving into a district with a bustling night life,"' said Jonathan Cordeau, manager of Twilight, which can draw 2,000 people for DJs or bands.

Doherty estimates that inspectors have handed out 30 to 40 warnings to club owners this year. None was given a citation for repeat violations on the same night, which could result in a fine of up to $500.

But, Doherty added, that doesn't mean the system works.

On a recent Saturday night, noise inspectors Doug Shelby and Danny Fernandez strolled down Seventh Avenue in crisp white short-sleeved shirts. As they passed Turbulence, a beefy man quickly closed the door to muffle the sound of blaring hip-hop tunes.

Shelby said many clubs have lookouts who alert DJs and owners, which has prompted talk that they should go undercover.

Fernandez pointed his noise reader -- slightly bigger than a palm pilot -- at Turbulence and registered a legal reading of just under 80 decibels.

Residents aren't the only ones who complain.

Six months ago, club music shook windows at the Don Vincente inn, said Sheryl Shiver, ex-wife of owner Jack Shiver.

"You would have thought it was World War II," said Shiver, who still works at the inn.

When the club moved its speakers, things got better, she said.

Tampa police don't hear much improvement.

Maj. K.C. Newcomb said 49 officers who take turns patrolling the area are subjected to the noise.

"You can't hear your radio," said Newcomb, who commands the special operations division. "That's not conducive for officer safety."

Officers also worry about long-term effects on hearing. The volumes pummeling them for up to several hours each night aren't much lower than federal safety standards, Newcomb said.

"Absolutely there's some health concerns," he said.

Pardo, with the Ybor development corporation, cited another cause for concern: rooftop bars.

Earlier this summer, the Barrio Latino Commission allowed two existing bars to expand to their roofs. Some worry that without walls to muffle sound, rooftop bars will be even noisier than ground-level bars.

RBK will also look at that issue.

Its findings will be channeled to the Ybor development corporation's noise ordinance committee, which will then make recommendations to the City Council.

Said Pardo: "There's got to be a level where everyone can be happy."

-- Staff Writer John Balz contributed to this report. Ron Matus can be reached at 226-3405 or matus@sptimes.com.

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