Miami Beach residents press Good Time Hotel over rooftop noise; operators say complaints are rare
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Summary
Neighbors told the Miami Beach Planning Board on June 27 that rooftop music and late-night sound from the Good Time Hotel has disrupted nearby residents; hotel operators and lawyers said outreach and testing have reduced complaints and asked the board to keep the item for monitoring, not action.
Several Flamingo Park residents told the Miami Beach Planning Board on June 27 that rooftop music and late-night noise from the Good Time Hotel has repeatedly disturbed nearby homes and roof terraces, particularly on Saturdays. The hour-long discussion item included community members’ accounts of frequent weekend events, hotel neighbors’ testing of sound impacts and hotel representatives’ assurances that the property has dramatically reduced complaints and is working with residents.
Neighbors described regular Thursday-to-Sunday noise earlier in the hotel’s operation and said they still sometimes hear intrusive sound despite mitigation attempts. “It’s every — almost every Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday. They have a rooftop outdoor club blasting music across the Flamingo Park neighborhood,” resident Charles Fisher told the board, saying the noise made outdoor use of his property “unusable.” Marc Antoine Damido Gallis, president of a nearby HOA, described higher sound at the building’s roof terraces and asked the hotel to agree on an acceptable maximum level.
Hotel representatives, including general manager Avi (last name not provided) and Rob Garcia, said the business has reduced violations and maintained regular communication with neighbors. Mickey Marrero, the hotel’s attorney, and Avi said the property now averages only a handful of verified complaints in recent months. “Please look at the amount of noise complaints that you’ve had over the past four months. It’s countable on one hand,” Avi said, adding that Friday and Sunday events are “subdued” and Saturdays are the primary source of friction.
City code enforcement reported verified complaint counts in recent months and said complaints were two in January, three in March, one in April, two in May and none in June. Sylvia Escobar, administrative service manager for code enforcement, told the board that if an officer goes inside a reported unit and the officer hears the noise, that establishes a violation under current city rules.
Board members and staff said the planning board’s authority is limited by the language in the hotel’s conditional use permit and city noise standards, but several members urged continuing the outreach and tightening enforcement. Board member Gail (last name not stated) said the board “has let down the residents” in the past and suggested stronger safeguards such as a permanent code-compliance presence paid for by the operator or a reduction in permitted hours on the roof. Tanya Botte encouraged objective decibel testing as part of a pilot; hotel representatives said a city pilot had not moved forward after the Land Use and Sustainability Committee raised concerns about meter readings in dense urban areas.
The board took no enforcement action at the June 27 meeting; members said they would monitor the situation and bring it back if violations continue. Several board members praised the hotel’s outreach while emphasizing that ongoing, sustainable compliance is needed to avoid renewing the issue.
Votes and formal actions in the Good Time Hotel discussion were not taken; the item was a discussion only, and board members said they may revisit it if complaints or violations recur.
Ending: Neighbors left the meeting urging stronger, enforceable limits and objective monitoring, and hotel managers said they will continue regular community meetings and outreach. The planning board did not set a follow-up date but indicated it will keep the item on its monitoring list if concerns persist.
