Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/277189
The tweak would put that level at 65 instead of 70 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. The residents also have requested that the other sound reading — the "dbA" number — be reduced from 65 to 60 between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. County Attorney Stephen DeMarsh advised the commissioners that they would be able to lower the levels further if they chose to do so following the March 19 hearing. He cau- tioned, however, that the public should be made aware the newer numbers could be considered that day. The board asked staff to be sure that was done. One area business owner told The Sarasota News Leader this week he is concerned the county could be reaching for unconstitutional levels. Referring to the residents' request for revising the bass figure, Russell Matthes, co-owner of the Daiquiri Deck in Siesta Village and the Daiquiri Deck Raw Bar restaurants on St. Armands Circle and in Venice, said on March 11, "If they make it too low, it will make [the ordinance] unenforceable." Matthes added, "It's virtually impossible to make [the proposed revision] any stricter, in my opinion," because of the difficulty of mea- suring bass levels amid ambient noise. He pointed out that a person's voice in some set- tings could register in excess of the proposed maximum mark. THE PLEAS During her March 4 remarks to the commis- sioners during their regular meeting in Venice, Chapman said that even 65 decibels of bass "is extremely intrusive." At an average of 68 decibels of bass, she con- tinued, "We feel the vibrations inside our homes, even with all of our windows closed. Fencing at the rear of the Bob's Boathouse site separates the business from a neighborhood. Photo by Norman Schimmel We feel the vibrations inside our homes, even with all of our windows closed. By 70 [dbC] day or night, we are ready to sharpen our pitchforks and light the torches. Michele Chapman Resident Montclair Drive Sarasota Sarasota News Leader March 14, 2014 Page 26