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CORY SCHOUTENThe City Council will soon consider recommendations that are sure to divide the district with the dual identity.
Pulsating beats at all hours of the night pushed Andy Celerio to move out of his Camden Ybor City apartment. He enjoyed living two minutes from his office but couldn't stand the noise.
Neither could City Council member Kevin White, who is sleeping a lot easier since moving out of Ybor City to Southeast Seminole Heights.
"It sounded like someone upstairs was having a party," White said. "You're blocks away and you can hear the words, you can sing along."
Other people, such as Paul Keene, rent a place at Camden because it's in the entertainment district.
"It's Ybor," he said. "It's going to be loud on the weekends."
For years, the noise issue has divided Ybor City residents, business owners and community leaders. And this month, plenty is at stake for the area - billed simultaneously as a residential district and entertainment destination.
On Wednesday, an Ybor noise committee of business owners, residents and civic leaders will hold its last meeting, finalizing a set of recommendations that could be considered by the City Council later this month.
Jack Shiver says guests of his Don Vicente de Ybor Historic Inn sometimes leave in the middle of the night because of chandelier-rattling noise.
Amphitheater club owner John Santoro says he'll lose customers if he can't pump music into the street.
Shiver supports the noise committee's recommendations. Santoro does not.
The Ybor noise committee will pitch its recommendations to the City Council, which will hold a public hearing before making any changes to the current ordinance.
If the council approves the recommendations, Tampa police would take over enforcement of the noise ordinance from the city's code division and would likely use different scales to measure bass and treble. Sound would be measured from the property line instead of the middle of the street, as is done now.
Consultants Siebein Associates also recommended reducing the legal noise limit from 85 decibels to 75, which is still up for debate. Even if the city keeps the 85-decibel limit, business owners would have to turn down the volume because the noise measurement would be taken closer to their property, said Mark Bentley, chairman of the noise committee and a lawyer.
At the meeting, the noise committee will also hear from the city's legal department on questions of enforcement, said Vince Pardo, executive director of Ybor City Development Corp. Does the band, the business or the property owner get fined? And how much? Those recommendations will also go to the City Council.
Police are among those supporting a stricter ordinance. The noise can cause permanent hearing loss and become a safety issue when officers have a hard time hearing their radios, said Sgt. James Preston.
But Santoro said city leaders are gradually destroying the entertainment district. First, they cracked down on street vendors, performers and people passing out pamphlets. Now they're targeting music.
"It's like moving in next to an airport and then complaining that the planes are flying," Santoro said. "All they're doing is being political and appeasing the people who are making the loudest arguments."
He wishes the city would enforce the current ordinance instead of putting another burden "on the back of the business owner."
Shiver, who also owns a bar, stressed that he doesn't want to hurt anyone's business.
"On the other hand," he said, "we don't want other occupations besides the bars to be hurt."
The noise committee will meet at 3 p.m. Wednesday at the German American Club, 2105 N Nebraska Ave.
- Cory Schouten can be reached at 226-3401 or cschouten@sptimes.com