During a meeting that lasted over five hours, business owners and residents debated the future of nightlife in Dunedin.
Is downtown Dunedin a thriving entertainment district and haven for late-night revelry?
It depends on whom you ask.
During a special meeting Thursday at City Hall that lasted over five hours, commissioners mulled amendments for two ordinances related to noise levels and outdoor dining. Dozens of residents and business owners showed up to share their concerns.
Commissioners voted unanimously to clarify a 16-year-old measure on unlawful noise. Under ordinance 24-22, section 107-41.1, residents may issue a complaint to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office if noise over 65 decibels — measured from their property line — lasts over two minutes. Violations include amplified sound that can be heard outside from 11 p.m. until 7 a.m., except for New Year’s Eve.
The amendment didn’t change the rules, but aimed to make it easier to understand compliance and enforcement.
“We’re not Ybor. We’re never going to be there,” said Mayor Julie Ward Bujalski. “And if you heard, Ybor’s noise level is at 85 and ours is 65, so let’s get a grip.”
Jason Seibert, owner of Flanagan’s Irish Pub and Rosie’s Tavern, said he has struggled to deal with people who issue constant noise complaints about his businesses.
“When somebody weaponizes complaining, you know, we should put them in jail,” he said, noting that “Dunedin is an entertainment district.”
Others expressed concerns about preserving the city’s nightlife.
“There’s a large section of the city that are artists, musicians, poets, writers, performers, etc. These are people that are on a completely different schedule, because they come alive at night,” said Dan Gravelle, a musician who has been coming to Dunedin for over 20 years.
“I can’t move into a condo and then change the rules to be loud when I say so,” he continued. “How can someone move into a downtown area and tell an established business to be quiet when they want to be? It’s kind of embarrassing.”
While commissioners agreed that chronic complainers were an issue, they weren’t convinced that downtown Dunedin has become an entertainment district. Commissioner John Tornga said the coastal city also included families. Commissioner Jeff Gow thought the residents make the area, not the entertainment.
“Each one of us in here looks at where downtown was 20 years ago,” he said. “Nobody in here knew this is what it was going to become.”
The second ordinance amendment addressed that evening — section 107-32 of ordinance 24-23 — centered around outdoor dining regulations. Under the ordinance, business owners seeking outdoor dining permits must provide an adequate amount of bathrooms and parking spaces.
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Some found the lengthy presentation and details of the amendment confusing.
“I’m blindsided today because I’m hearing all of these things and I’m wondering if Rosie’s is going to be affected,” Seibert said. “I don’t understand this, because what does this even mean? Nobody here knows what the hell that means.”
Most of the public comments revolved around how long businesses could keep outdoor dining open. The original ordinance stated that outdoor dining must be vacated by 11 p.m. on Sundays through Thursdays and midnight on weekends. The proposed amendment sought to omit this verbiage, with the understanding that businesses follow the noise ordinance.
George Courtney, co-owner of Reboot Arcade & Bar, launched a petition in June to change the ordinance and extend outdoor dining hours for downtown Dunedin businesses. He gathered over 4,000 signatures.
Local musician Jon Didier, who performs as “Jon Ditty,” said the “vacate by 11 p.m.” rule has hurt his business. He called it a “forced curfew” that punished people who worked late shifts — “many who now only work here because they have been priced out of the city whose vibrancy and current stature they have previously helped shape for years.”
“Not only does this mandatory vacate directly affect business and thus their bottom line,” he said. “It also denies them their freedoms to enjoy downtown after their shift at their leisure during late-night hours.”
Some residents disagreed.
“I was born and raised here, and have lived in my home for 20 years. I have been thoroughly trashed for just wanting to sleep in my home,” said Melissa McCormick. “Why do we suddenly need to extend the hours or downtown’s gonna die?”
A little after 11 p.m., the amendment passed 4 to 1.
But before that, commissioners and residents lamented what the discourse had done to the community.
“I don’t know what makes a downtown lose charm or become too wild,” said Vice Mayor Maureen Freaney. “I don’t know, but I do know what will absolutely destroy our downtown and our community — if the residents and businesses continue to vilify each other and get in each other’s face and make it personal when we’re all good people.”
Freaney also mentioned the Zero Context Against Zero Tolerance event hosted at Dunedin Brewery after that night’s City Hall meeting. A flyer described the event as “a performance and community jam celebrating freedom from tyranny and fascism.”
“The words were ‘celebrating freedom from tyranny and fascism,’ that is not going to bring our community together,” she said. “What’s going to bring our community together is maybe, how about a party this weekend welcoming our neighbors back into our businesses?”
Gabrielle Calise is a culture reporter who covers music, nostalgia and offbeat Florida trends. Reach her at gcalise@tampabay.com.