By John Pacenti
Not all noise is equal in Delray Beach.
For people on the barrier island, the roar of gas-powered leaf blowers is the chief concern. For those who live near downtown, it’s the establishments that blast music late into the night or revving motorcycles.
After months of community meetings, public debate and technical study, the Delray Beach City Commission adopted a revamped noise ordinance at its Feb. 24 meeting. The new standard is designed to move enforcement from a subjective “plainly audible” standard to an objective, decibel-based approach — with a measured roll-out and a 120-day implementation and evaluation window.
Enforcement will emphasize education and warnings in the early weeks. The city plans to spend $7,000 for up to five sound meters, train personnel and begin community outreach. It will evaluate progress and data after 120 days.
The sound will be measured at property boundaries — generally sidewalks — rather than doorways or internal business spaces, in line with state law restricting entry onto private property without consent.
“I’m going to support this, because I want to get started,” Mayor Tom Carney said. “But I don’t think we’re done with noise, because I do think we need to readdress the issues of the gas blowers, and we have to readdress the issue of also the other lawn equipment.”
The ordinance establishes decibel limits tailored to land use zones — with higher allowable levels in the city’s entertainment district and lower thresholds in residential areas. The change reflects findings from a consultant-led sound study and responds to persistent resident complaints about late-night music, amplified sound from waterfront restaurants, and disruptive vehicular noise.
City Attorney Lynn Gelin explained that the standard being replaced is whether a noise is plainly audible 100 feet away. “This is a subjective standard,” she said. “That’s not fair, right? We always want to ensure equity and fairness with our ordinances.”
However, the new noise ordinance does not address some of the chief concerns from residents regarding lawn equipment and traffic.
Republicans in the Florida Legislature are trying to preempt municipalities from banning or regulating the use of gas-powered leaf blowers. Florida landscapers and industry groups, including the lobbyists for the Florida Nursery, Growers and Landscape Association, are behind Senate Bill 290, intent on making sure residents remain disturbed by leaf blowers.
“We see it as a dangerous trend in Tallahassee to begin with, preempting, robbing cities and municipalities from managing their own cities, and having this mandated out of Tallahassee,” said Hal Stern, president of the Beach Property Owners Association.
But Stern says he knows the issue of noise is different for those who live near Atlantic Avenue and the entertainment district.
“So the noise coming out of a place like the Tin Roof, for instance, is something that we were aware of, but it’s not something that we weigh in on, because you can’t hear it on the barrier island,” Stern said.
Supporters — including longtime residents and community advocates — framed the ordinance as a necessary balance between livability and vibrancy.
“Some of these entertainment venues do not have to have weapon-sized speakers up there to try to blast us all off to the sidewalk,” resident Jody Kovalick said at the Feb. 24 commission meeting. He said there is a happy medium where the vibrancy of downtown can be maintained without disturbing the peace.
A lot of complaints, though, were about traffic as opposed to venues blasting music.
“The vehicular noise is really what brought me down here, and it’s scary to pedestrians to be walking on Atlantic Avenue and having motorcycles and cars rev up and seeing little kids respond to it is concerning to me,” resident Ellen Beyda said.
Police told residents at a Feb. 5 town hall on the noise ordinance, when it comes to cars or motorcycles, state statutes exist where police can issue citations without needing to measure the decibel levels.
A resident at the town hall recalled an incident where her husband asked politely for a motorcyclist to stop revving his motor. “Well, this guy started coming at him, you know. He’s like giving him the finger,” she recalled. “And the guy did it again and again.”
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