Mr. W.

I still do not have any answers from City of St. Petersburg, SPPD, Saint Pete Community Service Office. So now it's back to the County so please make a stronger effort I'm pretty sure you can handle these questions I think. I Need:

1) Clarification of the wording of the codes with regards to permissible decibel levels and distances of noise projection? Saying it should not be heard at a distance of 1000ft is ridiculous when there are preexisting residential properties less than that distance away. Why have a distance at all then? Do decibel levels exist or not? Current codes on your websites have decibel levels? Officer Maybell said and I quote "there is a lot of gray area in the codes" please clarify that statement.

2) Whose subjective interpretation of Loud and Raucous Noise is most considered? The people making it, the people subjected to it, or an officer or official of some sort that is not in any way being subjected to it anywhere near the same capacity we are?

3) What if any action at all is being planned by the Code Enforcement authorities to mitigate the nuisance from Island Grille?

4) Who in their right mind would permit a bar to play outdoor loud music smack in the middle of a residential area?

5) Why does anybody of sound mind and judgement feel that a bar needs to play music to people 50ft. away that can be heard clearly inside residential properties 700ft away and more not to mention the ambient outdoor noise pollution?

6) Is this a county vs. city issue? Is that where the confusion is with the regulatory agencies? If so provide specifics so I can address it accordingly.

I'm not sure how many e-mails and phone calls I am going to have to make to get these answers other than a hell of a lot. It is clearly obvious at this point that nobody is really sure what to do and that is why it keeps getting passed around without a response. Are you really trying to tell me that there is nobody available that can answer the above questions with clarity?  Thanks and I hope your weekends and evenings are not rudely interrupted by Loud and Raucous Noise and drunken hoodlums like ours are.

I have reported a complaint weeks ago by phone to Code Enforcement. I followed code enforcements instructions on how to handle the complaint. However the complaint was not handled in a way that provides any objective data whatsoever to validate the complaint. I have submitted multiple questions to Code Enforcement reiterating this problem and have been referred all over the place to departments outside of code enforcement. I have asked some extremely simple questions of Code Enforcement and have yet to receive an answer. So after being grossly clear here, calling Code Enforcement directly and calling the police it is as though a complaint was never filed. So now I am asking you as I have already contacted others. Who is responsible for going out to a property with a decibel meter and checking to see if there is a violation within accordance to the written codes and then reports that back to the person making the complaint? Calling Code Enforcement has not made that happen, calling the police has not made that happen and reporting it here has not made that happen and nobody can even address the question with a clear answer. Most businesses or offices will take customers or complaints as they come and then put that customer or complaint on the calendar as to when and by whom it will be addressed. After weeks of trying I am unable to achieve a simple answer as to who and when. Why is that? You have my e-mail address and phone number to respond to my questions but I would prefer a simple e-mail as I cannot always get to my phone. So please, you asked for my e-mail, you have it so somebody simply answer the simple question as to who is going to validate my complaint with a decibel meter, cross reference it with the written codes and then report the validity of my complaint and then enforce it?

What office is responsible for sending an agent out to this property to verify if they are in violation of code and exactly when will it happen. The police did not verify anything as per written code standards. Also it appears that all of the sudden after not being able to answer some very very simple questions you are experiencing "HIGH VOLUME". Well if somebody could answer my questions and or do something about my complaint in an efficient, timely, mature adult and professional manner that would reduce volume. However I am forced to come back here and repeat myself because nobody is able to respond appropriately or even provide some objective data to work with. Why can't somebody there answer my question? Surely somebody at Code Enforcement knows who is supposed to enforce codes per code standards one would think. Having the police do a subjective pass through is not verifying a code violation as per the written code specifics. I WANT TO LEAVE THIS ISSUE OPEN UNTIL SOMEBODY IN OUR COUNTY GOVERNMENT OR LAW ENFORCEMENT GOES OUT TO ISLAND GRILLE WITH A DECIBLE METER AND MEASURES THE VOLUME THEY ARE PUTTING OUT PARTICULARLY ON WEEKENDS. THEN I WANT THAT PERSON TO REPORT BACK TO ME THE DECIBLE LEVEL THEY RECORDED AND IF IT IS COMPLIANT WITH CODE STANDARDS AS THEY ARE WRITTEN WITH REGARDS TO VOLUME, DISTANCE AND ZONING. As of this and multiple other writings I cannot even get a remotely straight answer from anybody as to who will do this and when. In the mean time my right to enjoy my residence is being violated by a group of middle aged drunks pretending to be teenagers.

The newly opened Island Grille is blasting very loud music on weekends to the point that it can be heard clearly inside my closed residence approximately 1000ft. away. On the balcony it completely dominates any practical ability to enjoy that part of my residence. It would appear due to the distance and volume that they are definitely in violation of noise ordinances decibel allowances. I reported this by phone to code enforcement and they were very noncommittal to doing anything about and said to call the police. I called the police and after helping them and the sheriffs dept. figure out whose jurisdiction it was the police actually came out. The police agreed it was very loud but did not report any decibel levels they just said it was very loud. They said they asked the management to turn it down but if they did turn it down we could not tell. What I am requesting of code enforcement is that they actually go out there on a weekend night and check the noise with a decibel meter. If the volume they are playing at is indeed within the legal limits then I am asking code enforcement to tell us exactly who we need to talk to within our county government to get the code changed as the rude and obnoxious intrusion of this noise into residences in proximity to the Island Grille is ridiculous and unprecedented to this typically quiet sanctuary. Thank You!!!

Code Enforcement Turfed this issue over to here so I will copy and paste original complaint with a few revisions as they have not addressed it. The newly opened Island Grille is blasting very loud music on weekends to the point that it can be heard clearly inside my closed residence approximately 1000ft. away. On the balcony it completely dominates any practical ability to enjoy that part of my residence. It would appear due to the distance and volume that they are definitely in violation of noise ordinances decibel allowances. I reported this by phone to code enforcement and they were very noncommittal to doing anything about it within a 3 to 4 week time frame and said to call the police. I called the police and after helping them and the sheriffs dept. figure out whose jurisdiction it was the police actually came out. The police agreed it was very loud but did not report any decibel levels they just said it was very loud. They said they asked the management to turn it down but if they did turn it down we could not tell. What I am requesting of code enforcement is that they actually go out there on a weekend night and check the noise with a decibel meter. If the volume they are playing at is indeed within the legal limits then I am asking code enforcement to tell us exactly who we need to talk to within our county government to get the code changed as the rude and obnoxious intrusion of this noise into residences in proximity to the Island Grille is ridiculous and unprecedented to this typically quiet sanctuary. Thank You!!! The key item here is somebody actually randomly checking the decibel level they are putting out. Due to very poor planning and very poor architectural design the Island Grille is forced to have their live music outside on the deck where sound either bounces off the structure or is directly projected towards residential dwellings. I have read the codes and believe I understand them and I am quite confident that if I can clearly hear this highly irritating noise pulsing through my residence 1000ft away that they are playing louder than the code permits. The codes are very specific as to decibel levels. If 55dB is two people having a normal conversation than what they are putting out is significantly above 79dB. I cannot hear what two people standing on the ground floor 10ft. from my building are saying at all. It seems a little absurd to me that #1) This establishment was given permission to do this. #2) They have no idea whatsoever what volume they're actually pumping out. #3) They're actually inconsiderate and selfish enough to do it. I want them to succeed, I wanted to be a patron but I'm not going to sacrifice my peace of mind, weekends and enjoyment of my own living room for them.