Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/122777
MORE NOISE OVER SOUND The owner of the Gator Club says he has filed foreclosure papers because of nonpayment of a second mortgage. Photo by Norman Schimmel THE CITY COMMISSION WRESTLES AGAIN WITH CONTROLLING NOISE DOWNTOWN, SEEKING A MORATORIUM ON NEW BARS, AMONG OTHER MEASURES By Stan Zimmerman City Editor The issue of downtown sound keeps widening as pressures multiply. First it was musicians and entertainers asking to play a little longer. Then there was a backlash from downtown residents who claimed existing ordinances are not enforced. When city staffers promised heightened attention to amplified music, civil libertarians stepped in. Then the argument morphed to one about noise in the streets when the downtown bars close at 2 a.m. The Sarasota City Commission has waded into the fray three times in the past six weeks, and the members have reversed themselves twice. They earlier accepted the offer of City Manager Tom Barwin to put together an advisory panel, then killed the idea. On Monday, April 15, they approved Barwin's proposal. The five members presumably are still standing by. We have a problem with six bars generating noise, and a seventh has been proposed. Unless we get this under control, we'll wake up and find we have 10 bars downtown. Terry Turner Commissioner City of Sarasota Meanwhile, the drumbeat of public testimony has continued. Nine people trooped to the microphone on Monday afternoon — downtown residents all — to decry lack of action on the part of