Board directs feasibility RFP after neighbors' noise complaints at Charlotte County sheriff firing range

The Charlotte County Board of County Commissioners on Jan. 13 directed staff to pursue a phased engineering feasibility study and to explore alternatives after an extended discussion about noise from the county's sheriff firing range near residential neighborhoods.

Travis Purdue, facilities management director, reviewed prior testing and mitigation options: full enclosure would require major design work and costly air-filtration and could exceed typical local budgets; hardened sound walls might reduce noise by up to about 10 decibels but could be expensive and offer no guarantee; vegetative buffers would require 30'60-foot widths to achieve modest (3'5 dB) reductions and are not feasible on most of the site.

Residents from Waterford Estates told the board they experience frequent, high-decibel long-gun fire and occasional disturbance from other training; multiple residents said they had not received full disclosure about the range when they purchased or that earlier tests were not performed on the backyard side of the facility. Sheriff's Office executive director Andres Rodriguez said the department needs recurrent training for roughly 500 certified personnel and has tried to find off-site options but faces capacity and scheduling limits with partner ranges.

After discussion commissioners asked administration to: (1) research and document off-site long-gun training options within a practical radius, (2) prepare a phased RFP beginning with feasibility (cost estimate range provided; staff suggested $50,000'10,0000 for an initial feasibility study), and (3) return with phased options and funding sources. The board emphasized giving the RFP a narrow scope (early-phase no-go checkpoints) so the county can avoid open-ended design costs. Administration noted no funding was identified yet; the board asked staff to identify possible funding sources prior to issuing a full contract.

"We need a professional, impartial assessment," one commissioner said, urging a sound engineer and a range-design specialist for a two-track review: acoustics and indoor-range safety/air-quality implications. Commissioners also asked the sheriff to examine operational mitigations (scheduling announcements, limiting long-gun usage when possible, and maximizing published training schedules to help neighbors plan).

Next steps: administration will draft an RFP with phased deliverables (feasibility, design options, cost estimates), return a fee estimate to the board, and report on potential off-site partners and funding options.