Cocoa Beach noise ordinance remains unchanged after city commission discussion
COCOA BEACH, Fla. - Cocoa Beach city leaders decided Thursday night not to change the current noise ordinance that went into effect last summer.
Some say it has worked as intended, but others have argued its language is too vague and subjective.
According to city documents, the city has received 161 noise complaints since July 2023, most of which target bars and restaurants. Only one official citation was filed, which was eventually dropped because the complainant failed to attend the hearing.
Much of the concern during Thursday evening's discussion centered around the idea that the ordinance, as written now, allows someone to make multiple complaints in one night against the same residence or establishment.
Commissioner Karalyn Woulas, who requested discussion on the ordinance, says repeat calls by the same individual have targeted her and her band in the past.
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"I have instances where my band was playing at Salty Sisters, but we played lower than acoustic active, and they were getting calls. To me, that's harassment, and it's happened several times," she said.
Police Chief Wes Mullins says he wants his officers to consider using more discretion, especially when getting repeated calls from the same person. He also ruled out decibel meters to help with enforcement, as those would require certification and calibration.
"We need to be reasonable on our side as a department and try and gain compliance to a reasonable degree from the business while at the same time holding the complainants accountable for fraudulent or incredulous complaints," he said.
While no decision was made to change the ordinance, city commissioners would like Mullins, the city manager, and city staff to meet and recommend whether any of the language needs to be clarified or changed.