Tampa city council moves forward with plan to lower volume in Channelside

TAMPA, Fla. - The City of Tampa is moving forward with a plan to lower the volume in Channelside. After months of debate, the city is going to make it a judgement call as to whether entertainment venues are too loud. 

Even 22 floors up, Larry Rinderknecht said the subwoofer from the bar on the first floor of his Channelside condo tower, is unbearable.

"[There is] screaming, swearing, that occurs while they are playing games out on the patio," Rinderknecht said. 

Respite – and rest – might be coming, now that Tampa city councilors voted to change Channelside's noise enforcement from a decibel reading to a judgement call, on when the human ear senses noise is too loud. 

Councilors said it was critical, as residences have boomed there.

"I don't get to sleep before midnight," Rinderknecht said. "And then, in order for me to get to sleep, I have to create a white noise."

Thursday's vote is the latest in a string of them to re-do the city's whole policy, which carves out two other areas where decibel readings can be taken. The area around Amalie Arena is one, and Ybor City is the other. 

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Councilors don't want to kill business by lowering the volume too much.

"Over the last two years, Ybor City has been battered by COVID, and we want to make sure we do this with extra care, because entrepreneurship is what moves the city forward," said Councilor Luis Viera.

After a complaint, businesses that are found in violation will face an escalating series of fines. 

Rinderknecht said his weekends of spending the night at his sister's in Clearwater may be coming to an end.

The mayor's office is not able to say if she will sign what council passed today. 

The owner of the establishment in question did not immediately respond to several requests for comment.

Public meetings are expected in the near future on the Ybor and arena district ordinances.