Issue link: https://newsleader.uberflip.com/i/281176
PUBLIC COMMENTS Only one of the 14 people who addressed the board during the public hearing advocated against the changes. Christopher Young, who said he is a sound mixer for bands, told the commissioners they were "on the verge of breaking the Sunshine law" for not giving musicians ample notice about the proposed revisions. "You cannot put a noise ordinance upon the people, folks!" Young said. "This is petty. This live music debate is petty," he added, noting he and others in the music business would lose their jobs if the changes were approved. Among the other speakers, Chapman, the Montclair Drive resident, had arranged in advance to provide a demonstration of the sound level of music she has been hearing at her bedroom window, thanks to the bands at Bob's Boathouse. After Jim McWhorter, president of the River Forest Civic Association, Code Enforcement Officer Burns and Henry Lee of Montclair Drive played music Chapman had recorded from Bob's on her cellphone, Chapman noted that it was at the 75-decibel level. "This is for 30 hours a week that we're hearing this," she said. "Now you may be able to understand why we're breaking down mentally, psycho- logically and physically, and that's not a joke. We really are." During his comments, McWhorter reiter- ated the points he made during remarks to the board at its regular meeting on March 4 in Venice. "Sarasota County allows three times the loudness of other counties [in Southwest Florida]." "We need an ordinance that results in an actual violation," he added. "There have been Assistant Zoning Administrator Donna Thompson. Photo by Rachel Hackney Commissioner Joe Barbetta reviews material before the start of the discussion. Photo by Rachel Hackney Sarasota News Leader March 21, 2014 Page 21