Naples council approves 4 Seasons’ live‑entertainment permits with noise limits and staged reviews

The City of Naples voted April 1 to approve both outdoor and indoor live‑entertainment permits for the redeveloped Naples Beach Hotel, operated as the 4 Seasons, while attaching noise‑control and review conditions aimed at protecting nearby residents.

Mayor Teresa Heitman read the quasi‑judicial resolution for petition 26‑LE‑3 and 26‑LE‑4 before the council heard testimony from Clay Brooker, attorney for the applicant, and Diego Angarita, the hotel’s general manager. Brooker said the applicant reduced the number of alternative outdoor venues from 16 to 11 and limited concurrent outdoor use to “no more than two outdoor locations on the seaward side and no more than two on the landward side” at any given time. He also said the resort would employ standardized audiovisual equipment, sound limiters and decibel meters at the property line and, as a general rule, end outdoor live entertainment by 10 p.m.

Erica Martin, the planning director, told the council staff had reviewed the applications against the city code and life‑safety plans and recommended approval subject to conditions. Staff noted that the formal life‑safety plans referenced in the resolutions (to be attached as exhibits) show the exact dimensions and locations for each permitted performance area and have been reviewed by the fire marshal.

Councilmembers pressed petitioners and staff on several operational points, including whether the resolutions should require permanently installed speakers. Brooker and petitioner representatives asked the council to remove only the word “permanent” so indoor rooms could use flexible AV setups; staff and several councilmembers emphasized that the objective of the condition is operational control (standardized equipment, a sound‑limiter, and a responsible operator) rather than the physical permanence of speakers.

Council also sought clarity about the ability to hold events on the beach: Diego Angarita said the hotel does not intend to have live amplified entertainment on the sand and that any true beach event would need separate state and city permitting (including DEP and CCCL approvals). Natalie Hardman, the city’s natural resources manager, said state review can add two to 30 days and may impose turtle‑season restrictions on lighting and sand disturbance.

Because part of the landward side of the resort (the golf/course/community buildings) is still under construction, the council added review provisions: the council will monitor landward (golf‑side) locations until the golf course and the remaining residential buildings are complete, with periodic reviews to evaluate noise impacts and operational compliance.

Vice Mayor Blankenship moved to approve the outdoor permit with changes discussed on the record: delete the word “permanent” from the speaker condition, add annual reviews for the landward side until phase‑2 buildings are complete, and explicitly require that separately ticketed or large special events obtain separate permits. The motion passed on roll call. A second motion to approve the indoor permit with the same modification to the speaker condition and incorporation of the outdoor record also passed.

The approvals include express conditions that standardized AV equipment, sound limiters and decibel meters be used to ensure compliance with the city’s noise ordinance, that life‑safety plans referenced in the resolutions be attached as exhibits, and that any amplified events visible from the beach adhere to state marine turtle lighting rules.

Next steps: staff will attach the life‑safety plans as exhibits, the petitioner will coordinate with state agencies if they seek beach activity, and the council will reconvene for periodic reviews of landward locations as specified in the resolutions.