Fort Lauderdale finally plans to tweak its noise law after getting a surge in complaints from residents fed up with noise blaring from bars and nightclubs.
“We’re making things better,” Mayor Dean Trantalis said Monday. “We went through many discussions and came up with these compromise measures in achieving our goals. It’s not perfect. But we need to start somewhere.”
After three years of research and input from noise experts, commissioners are expected to vote on the new noise rules at their Tuesday night meeting. A second and final vote would take place in the coming weeks.
With the assistance of the city’s Noise Control Advisory Committee, staff made the following recommendations:
— The inclusion of noise limits to account for bass and other low-frequency sounds.
— The specification that code enforcement officers who discover possible violations while on patrol take measurements 5 feet from the establishment.
— Non-amplified sound emanating from residential properties shall not be plainly audible for a period of one minute or longer at a distance of 25 feet or more when measured from the source property line between the hours of 10 p.m. and 7 a.m.