Neighbors win yearlong bout with outdoor karaoke
A Po ' Boy s restaurant concedes defeat after a notice from code enforcement.
By ANDREW MEACHAM
Published November 24, 2006
Every weekend for the past year, thousands of Bloomingdale residents climbed into bed to the unwanted sounds of karaoke crooners trying to carry a Joan Jett tune.
I love rock 'n' roll. So put another dime in the jukebox, baby.
And if it wasn't Joan Jett lyrics keeping them awake, it was a Lynyrd Skynyrd cover.
Well, I heard Mr. Young sing about her
I heard old Neil put her down.
In the event Mr. Young doesn't remember, residents of Bloomingdale East, Bloomingdale Ridge, Buckhorn Estates and Windsor Woods surely do:
A Southern man don't need him around anyhow.
Karaoke night and other outdoor musical events at the Po'Boys restaurant in Valrico has thoroughly incensed the neighbors. To block out the sound, some have resorted to earplugs or insulating their windows. Some bought "white noise" machines - devices that block noises by simulating the sound of rushing air or falling water.
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Complaints to the Sheriff's Office and other county authorities have come from residents up to a mile and a half from the restaurant at 3345 Lithia Pinecrest Road.
"It starts up at 8 p.m., but it cranks up around 10," Windsor Woods resident Kevin Hayes said. "The windows vibrate."
Several months ago, the career Navy man drove to the restaurant in his slippers.
They turned the volume down. But the noise - and neighbors' anxieties - were back up the next night.
That all changed at a Nov. 16 meeting of the Bloomingdale Area Community Council, which drew about a dozen residents to the sheriff's substation on Bell Shoals Road.
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In the end, the restaurant
handed residents the only olive branch they would accept: unconditional surrender.
There will be no more outdoor music. Events such as benefits for veterans, sick children or accident victims will have to be held inside.
Some neighbors attending the meeting applauded the move. Others took a wait-and-see attitude.
The previous owners of Po'Boys built a small wooden stage about a year ago and began staging events: karaoke on Thursdays, live music Fridays and Saturdays.
Karen Walker and two other investors bought the restaurant in April. She brought in new management but left the microphone on for karaoke singers.
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
"Born to Be Wild, that's one of my favorite songs," said Carl Stickeler, a past president of Bloomingdale Ridge. "But at 1 o'clock in the morning, I don't want to listen to music."
No solution in sight
Residents say they called the restaurant and got polite replies but no action. They called the Sheriff's Office, which sent out deputies.
Nothing worked.
Neighbors contacted county Commissioner Ronda Storms, who called the county Environmental Protection Commission. The EPC measured sound levels in some complaining households "at least 10 times," said air quality director Marvin Blount.
None of the readings exceeded allowable limits.
Frustrated neighbors wrote e-mails, then e-mailed the e-mails until hundreds of people were reading them.
"This is big," said Mary Bonsler, who read and sent many of those messages. "This goes all the way around here."
A one-year standoff
Her husband, Mike, has insulated their windows and ceiling to dull Mack the Knife and other oldies but goodies. Mary bought a white noise machine at Radio Shack to help her sleep.
The standoff continued for nearly a year.
Since taking over the restaurant in April, the new owners have offered discounts to police officers and teachers, plus free meals to children on Sundays. Musical events raise money for homeless veterans and displaced children.
"We've done a lot for this community," said manager Kara Campbell.
Until recently, the neighbors had little recourse but to call the Sheriff's Office whenever things got too loud.
That all changed at a November meeting of the Bloomingdale Homeowners Association. Residents approached Bill Langford, Hillsborough County's supervisor of code enforcement, and asked for a solution.
Zoning law prevails
Langford researched the case and almost immediately found one: The restaurant's commercial neighborhood zoning, established in the mid 1990s, forbids musical performances. County ordinances back up Langford's claim.
"It's one thing to have a radio playing," Langford said. "It's another thing to have a grandstand built into the side of your restaurant, and that's what they had."
Langford gave verbal notice to Po'Boys last week that the performances violated its zoning. Because the owners agreed to stop outdoor events, the notice came with no penalty but could have led to legal action and fines of up to $1,000 a day.
"We're still digesting this," restaurant co-owner Walker said. She said she was stunned by losing the outdoor venue but added, "I can't oppose the community."
The Friday after Langford's visit, Po'Boys held a benefit concert indoors for Dorian Mathews of Valrico, 25, who suffered injuries in a crash at Lumsden and Miller roads and remains in intensive care.
While neighbors welcome the developments since code enforcement officials got involved, Stickeler, wondered what took so long.
"That's the true frustration of it," he said. "It took them almost a year to figure out that they were in violation of a county zoning ordinance."
Andrew Meacham can be reached at 661-2431 or ameacham@sptimes.com