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Commission asks staff to draft blended update to noise ordinance; seeks plainly‑audible options and faster enforcement tools
Summary
After an update from staff and the police on 2023–24 noise complaints and consultant proposals, the commission directed staff to prepare a revised noise ordinance that blends decibel‑meter standards with elements of the plainly‑audible approach used elsewhere. Staff will return with ordinance language and outreach plans.
City staff and the St. Augustine Police Department briefed the commission on Jan. 27 about proposed updates to the city’s noise ordinance following complaints during the 2023–24 period and prior nightlife debates. Assistant Chief Anthony Cuthbert and city staff described current enforcement practice, proposed decibel‑based amendments and an alternative plainly‑audible standard used in other Florida jurisdictions.
Staff said the police department recorded 289 noise complaints in 2024, and that enforcement under the city’s current decibel‑measurement method resulted in about 100 verbal warnings, one written warning and three ordinance citations during the year. Corporal Cuthbert said the current protocol requires a certified noise operator, calibrated meters, three one‑minute readings and an ambient noise measurement; that process often requires access to the complaining property and can be time‑consuming.
The consultant’s draft amendment would allow an enforcement officer to take a sound reading at or near the commercial source (a 10‑foot‑or‑greater distance option was described) rather than rely only on a receiving property’s complaint. The proposed thresholds in the draft presented to the commission would treat measurements 12 decibels above ambient (7 a.m.–11 p.m.) or 6 decibels above ambient (after 11 p.m.) as potential violations and would permit officers to briefly pause sound at a source so staff could measure ambient conditions for comparison.
Staff also described the plainly‑audible standard used in Miami Beach and elsewhere, which defines a violation by whether sound from an establishment is plainly audible at a specified distance (Miami Beach uses 100 feet). Staff and the commission noted plainly‑audible advantages—simplicity, no need for certified meters and faster investigations—but also challenges in a dense, mixed‑use historic district where hotels, residences and bars are closely intermingled.
After discussion commissioners expressed broad agreement on several points: remove the strict requirement that a resident complaint be the only trigger for enforcement, equip and position a nightlife/code liaison (the city’s existing nightlife liaison was noted as an enforcement resource), and pursue a blended ordinance that retains objective metering for some cases while incorporating plainly‑audible elements and clearer, faster administrative options for on‑site officers.
Staff said the consultant’s draft is a starting point and that staff will revise the ordinance to incorporate residential protections, a hybrid enforcement approach, and the vice‑mayor’s suggested modifications (for example, clarity on measurement distances and parking/permitting interactions). The commission asked staff to return with a formal ordinance for first reading, to conduct outreach with downtown businesses and residents, and to present enforcement, staffing and training implications.
No ordinance vote was taken at this meeting; staff will return with a revised draft and outreach plan.
