Seaside Security & WCSO shut down the music

I think most of my commentary on the issue would be unprintable! :angry:

Shutting music down before 11 pm, in the town center, during a wine festival - WTF!!!

At this rate, the po-po will soon be called when my alarm clock goes off!

Can I quote you on this

I'd like to know if there are numerous complaints, or just one, before the cops show up?

Why the cops do not have/use the sound meters? What's the point of Code Enforcement having them if they do not work during the evenings/weekends when the music is playing?

when did this start? Was it because of the complaint Bob Hudson apparently made about the Jazz Festival

What is the financial impact to Walton County of losing the Jazz Festival and will that happen to other events? what is the impact of restaurants closing because of no music, such as Salty Dog...

these are probably all things you are looking into as well...it just amazes me that there is no effort made to find a middle ground....like so much here it seems very short sighted....my 2 cents.

I guess the moderators take the side of the Seaside security?

I have a question for those of you in the know,.,.,., if S.W. has a noise ordinance, how is it that no complaints are ever lodged against those mobile boom boxes on four wheels?! It's quiet now, but in season, you can hear them coming from a mile away. The windows in my office start rattling and my chest litterally pounds. I find this way more offensive and inconsiderate than loud music. If you've moved next door to a venue with live music, you pretty well know what to expect, but amped-up cars will come to you. I do have to admit, though, that this is one of my pet peeves. Anyone else?

Probably because those cars are on the move and so are both hard to find and report.

I am the 57 year old "elderly" woman at Great Southern Cafe Friday evening who witnessed Seaside Security advise the restaurant owner to stop the music or he would shut down the restaurant. This was not the first time I had witnessed this scene with SS security and SO. I spoke up because I knew the security officer was attempting to improperly enforce the SW sound oridinance. My job required that I become familiar with the sound ordinance that passed a fews years back, and I met with Code Enforcement at that time, to ensure our business would not viloate the ordinance. The code is very specific and it was not being violated. SS security was trying to placate a homeowner who was either misinformed or did not care what the ordinance states. To be honest, I was a little disappointed that after I explained this to Great Southern owner and security, and SO did not press the issue that the owner chose to stop the music anyway.

. The owner of the Great Southern folded and would not press the point, and caved in to whatever the red shirt , said , even though the deputies, did not demand the music stop. I guess my question is this what is wrong with live music and why does it take an eldery lady to go to bat for her right to enjoy herself and listen to live music, when the very nervous owner, made the music stop.
To Answer your question posed above. This whole music ordinance thing has been handled very poorly but South Walton's finest. The owner erred on the side of caution wishing not to spend the night in jail. NOT to say that he was threatened,
but as I said these things have went south really quick when so wal po po are involved. So unfortunately the music did stop and the guest of Great Southern missed out on the rest of the music.
Unfortunate but true we live in fear of the cops??????

Aleo, can you include some coverage of dog owners who let their dogs bark all night without restriction? why are they not cited and have warrants issued for them?

Aleo, can you include some coverage of dog owners who let their dogs bark all night without restriction? why are they not cited and have warrants issued for them?

How 'bout those Harleys with the straight pipes? This whole issue of noise is a great example of selective enforcement

dogs bark all night

Harleys with the straight pipes

boom boxes on four wheels

my alarm clock goes off

hearing live music

I am stunned by the Noise Nazi's that have invaded this area. Granted some of the above lines are from people just as annoyed as I am about the silencing of just about everything but where do we finally draw the line? What about those hundreds of blackbirds that have invaded my yard in the last few weeks, and all those noisy cicadas every summer? Lets not forget when our very wealthy and noisy neighbor to the north (EglinAFB) who decides to blast us every so often with tonnage of ordinance? I would like to see how many of the people making these complaints even LIVE here or for HOW LONG? And since when do we all have to roll over and play dead for ONE unreasonable person that is bothered by a bit of music?

Noise is part of living in a community - how I would love for these crabby complainers to hear some REAL noise.

I for one would like to see the communities and owners take a stand - especially in Seaside where complaints are shutting down performances at long established businesses in the COMMERCIAL district!

I'd like to complain about the trucks that pass by my place every morning. They make my dog bark. :roll: Oh, and the freakin' motorcycles that stop and start at the four way stop. And the leaf blowers. If only I had some music to drown out these noises.

Aleo, can you include some coverage of dog owners who let their dogs bark all night without restriction? why are they not cited and have warrants issued for them?

Hey John,

Covered the dog issue for you when I did the code enforcement article a while back....but you can always contact code enforcement and have them come out. From what I am getting right now is that the issue with the clubs is being looked at as a breach of the peace, not a code violation.

I am still waiting on a response from the gentleman I left a message for at the WCSO, so, I am still trying to sort this out and the difference between the two, but will have the article out next week

I can tell you that code enforcement told me that on the third noise violation it is considered a misdemeanor.

Well, I just cannot keep quiet (no pun intended) any longer. Some of you are being irrational, IMHO. Why bring blackbirds and cicadas into it? The noise ordinance addresses human- created noises. It is just silly to bring insects and birds and free speech into the discussion.
As it happens, I sat through quite a few of the hearings to craft and adopt a noise ordinance, and I heard some awful stories about all-night long construction noise keeping kids awake and other outrageous violations of the peace that I think none of you would want to put up with night after night. These are the kinds of things the noise ordinance was designed to deal with, and if people had been respectful of their neighbors, we would not have needed an ordinance in the first place. It seems to have been established here that the complaint was not a violation of the ordinance, and so the problem lies with the SO and the county for their failure to follow the provisions of what is actually a quite reasonable ordinance. If the SO had brought a meter, or if code enforcement had been available, it could have been quickly established that there was no violation and that would have been the end of the story. Your outrage is misdirected. It ought to be aimed at local government, who created this situation not by enforcing the noise ordinance, but by failing to enforce it. And perhaps also at Bob Hudson, or whoever it was, that ran off the Jazz Festival. I seriously doubt that was a violation, either. I do believe there was some other dynamic at work regarding the Jazz Festival, and that is exactly why a meter and a copy of the ordinance would be very handy. It would put an end to these bogus complaints that are really maybe about other people enjoying themselves a bit too much, and it would deal with real nuisances in an equitable manner.
Aleonard, I hope you can sort through the usual shuffle you being given. When local government wants to enforce or not enforce something in a manner of their own choosing, this is the exactly the sort of dance they do.

The mention of birds and bugs is sarcasm.

I'd like to complain about the trucks that pass by my place every morning. They make my dog bark. :roll: Oh, and the freakin' motorcycles that stop and start at the four way stop. And the leaf blowers. If only I had some music to drown out these noises.

Watch out, the next noise complaint may be for the barking dog on the F balcony!
I personally feel some perspective, some prune consumption, and some earplugs (the latter two readily available at area grocery stores) would solve the problem.

All the voices in my head keep my up at night. Can I call the SO to come and make them shut up? :funn:

Watch out, the next noise complaint may be for the barking dog on the F balcony!
I personally feel some perspective, some prune consumption, and some earplugs (the latter two readily available at area grocery stores) would solve the problem.

Surely you didn't miss my sarcasm???? Molly creates more noise than all the things I listed!

All the voices in my head keep my up at night. Can I call the SO to come and make them shut up? :funn:

I'm sure they can get you a complimentary 3 night stay in Hotel Happy!

Salty Dog's had a db meter and it did not matter. I have read the ordinance over and over, but that does not matter either since the deputy can choose to supercede the county ordinance with a State Stature of disturbing the peace. The ordinance also states that permitted special events are not subject to the same guidlines.

What about those damn bombs that shake my house?

What about those damn bombs that shake my house?

That is the "sound of freedom"!

That is the "sound of freedom"!

That's the sound of large metal disks (AKA artwork) shaking on my walls & my wondering if anything's gonna fall next time we have crashes and booms from either bomb testing or the sound barrier being broken, which was last week's cause of the craziness.

This sucks!

Come on S.O.! Either handle the complaints in a fair manner, or don't handle them at all.... Call code enforcement... since they're responsible for upholding the ordinance. This BS is getting out of hand and the whole community is going to suffer for it, not to mention locals and visitors alike are beginning to have a Very low opinion of our Sheriff's dept. (As if!) :roll:

I've had to listen to the Mexicans on the next street blare their music every Saturday night I've lived here. I've never called a cop to stop it, because occasionally I blare mine too.

Live and let live.

Unfortunately we HAVE to respond if the person requests us to. Even if there is NO crime. It is a waste of county resources, but alas, the High Sheriff is a political office and depends on votes.....

In this particular instance, there was nothing to enforce. So the deputies not forcing the party to end was right.

As far as code enforcement goes.......they are an ENFORCEMENT agency. How can the office holders of this county justify having an ENFORCEMENT agency with 8-5 office hours? Why not just close their doors for good, save the taxpayers the salaries, insurance, retirement costs, vehicle costs, building costs etc etc etc and train us (WCSO) on the noise thingamejigs and let us handle it? Hell, we're the only ones that respond anyhow. And for what? to tell the complainants, "I'm sorry sir/Ma'am, but I don't have the equipment or training to handle your noise complaint."

The office of code enforcement is just a place to hand out jobs for political favors. I like the post that said, and I paraphrase, "we outta push those good 'ole boys back".

And hey, lighten up and enjoy the damn music! For every minute we waste on your noise complaint (because you chose to live AT THE BEACH...HELLO!) is a minute we could be ON PATROL in the neighborhoods....you know...preventing thefts and burglaries and such.....

And BTW, what a LOSS for our local economy to lose the Jazz Festival.....