Lake Clarke Shores adopts ordinance tying vessel noise enforcement to state decibel standard

The Town of Lake Clarke Shores on Dec. 10 approved Ordinance 2024-01 on its second and final reading, clarifying how the town will handle excessive noise from vessels on the town’s waterways.

The ordinance amends provisions of chapter 34 (nuisances and noise) to incorporate the Florida statutory standard for vessels, described in staff commentary and the ordinance text as a maximum of 90 decibels measured at 50 feet. Mary (town staff) read the ordinance into the record and town staff explained the measure is intended primarily to address modified personal watercraft and boats that produce unusually loud exhaust and prolonged disturbance in residential canals.

During public comment, longtime resident and professional rider Chris Nazezewski said recent decibel testing showed the jet-ski group he rides with was within the cited Florida limit and urged enforcement of existing statute rather than new local restrictions. Another resident, Anthony Vitnal, argued the state statute prevents municipalities from imposing lower engine-noise limits on personal watercraft and urged the town to avoid measures that would conflict with state law. Town staff and counsel responded that the vessel-specific noise standard in the ordinance is written to comply with the state statute and that other town noise provisions continue to apply to non-vessel sources at property lines.

After public comment the council moved, seconded and voted to adopt Ordinance 2024-01 on second reading. The ordinance will be included in the town code as read and described during the meeting. Council members and staff said the goal is to reduce nuisance noise near residences while enforcing the state decibel threshold for vessels.

Next steps: staff will finalize the ordinance codification and continue to coordinate enforcement procedures consistent with state law and town code.