The Flagler County Board of County Commissioners on Aug. 18 voted to deny an ordinance that would have exempted public, semi‑public and special uses from the county’s noise regulations.

Staff background: Adam Mingle, growth management director, said the proposed change was prompted by a historic church seeking to install electronic bells and concerns that the county’s 70‑decibel property‑line limit could prohibit intended activity. Mingle told the board the proposal would exempt public, semi‑public and special uses — not special events — and that the Planning Board had recommended approval.

Discussion and concerns: Mingle and commissioners discussed practical enforcement concerns and unintended consequences. Mingle said enforcement resources are limited and suggested the practical differences between special events, schools and other public uses could produce inconsistent enforcement outcomes; he quoted a community member at a recent meeting saying, “maybe the juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” to describe the difficulty of enforcing many small, short‑duration noise complaints.

Public comment: One speaker offered strongly worded opposition to an exemption, calling it discriminatory and warning about large private gatherings. Other commenters and commissioners noted enforcement challenges for noise complaints and compared the issue to fireworks enforcement.

Board action: Commissioner Hansen moved to deny the ordinance and Commissioner Richardson seconded. The board voted to deny the proposed code change; the motion passed with no opposition.

Why it matters: The denial keeps the county’s current noise ordinance in place for unincorporated areas; county staff and the board noted enforcement limitations but preferred to retain an enforceable standard rather than adopt broad exemptions.