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Residents press Dade City to enforce noise ordinance after repeated late-night parties on Twelfth Street
Summary
Multiple residents described ongoing loud parties on Twelfth Street that blocked the roadway and disrupted elderly residents; commissioners and staff said the city's amended noise ordinance allows civil citations and directed the city manager and police chief to designate officers as code-enforcement officers to enable nighttime enforcement.
At the March 11 meeting, several Twelfth Street residents told the Dade City Commission they have endured repeated late-night parties and loud music that left one resident and her elderly mother temporarily displaced.
Sharia Lewis, a Twelfth Street resident, described calling dispatch repeatedly over several nights and said officers who were on scene did not issue citations until Mayor Pro Tem Angel Woodard arrived. "I had to leave my home with my 80–year‑old mother … I had to load up all her medical equipment to take to the relative house," Lewis said, describing disruptive noise and blocked streets.
Residents and commissioners pressed for firmer enforcement. Attorney Patrick Brackens reviewed the city’s amended noise ordinance (Chapter 42) and said the code contains a "plainly audible" standard that does not require sound‑measurement equipment: an inspector or officer must hear the noise themselves to issue a citation. Brackens said the ordinance as written is enforced primarily as a code enforcement matter but that the same civil‑citation approach can be used for vehicles when officers observe the violation.
"The city manager and the chief of police shall be authorized to designate city police officers as code enforcement officers for the purpose of issuing citations," Brackens said, citing section 42‑305(e) of local code. Commissioners directed the city manager to coordinate with the police chief to allow officers to issue the citations directly so enforcement can proceed during late‑night hours without waiting for code staff to arrive.
Commissioners also discussed the related problem of blocked driveways and parked vehicles preventing emergency access. Staff and counsel noted civil citations for parking and nuisance behavior are available under existing code.
Ending: Commissioners said they will move to have police officers designated to issue code citations under the noise ordinance and asked staff to provide an implementation plan so enforcement can be performed promptly when officers are on scene. Residents asked for visible and consistent enforcement going forward.
