DUNEDIN, Fla. — A bar owner in Dunedin is sounding off on noise complaints from neighbors that are forcing him to shut down outdoor seating at 11 p.m.
He tells 10 Tampa Bay he's hopeful a petition and a possible change to a city ordinance will end the dispute.
George Courtney opened Reboot Arcade and Bar six years ago. It’s open until 3 a.m., except for his outdoor seating; the city manager called him three weeks ago to say they are enforcing an existing outdoor dining ordinance that requires people to vacate outside after 11 p.m.
“A lot of people actually only [come] here because they want to go outside because we're one of the few places that are open late,” Courtney said.
For months the city has been meeting with businesses and residents to figure out how to amend the ordinance.
“I would love to just say like, ‘Hey, you know what, let's just not do it and let's just make our money,’” he said. “But we love our city and we want this to be changed. We don't want to be the bad guys in town.”
Staff is recommending removing the vacate language entirely but requiring restaurants like Courtney’s to keep noise under 65 decibels, about as loud as a driving car.
“My fear was that this was going to get voted on by the city but without the major feedback from a lot of the people that come downtown [who] realize that like, you know, your nightlife is at jeopardy right here,” he said.
Courtney started a Change.org petition two weeks ago that now has thousands of signatures to make sure the commission approves the changes.
“If you kind of leave it up to officials and you don't have much input, you're kind of rolling the dice,” he adds.
He'll know if it's game over for late-night outdoor fun when a planning committee takes up the changes at a meeting later this month.
Reboot isn't the only business subject to the new enforcement of the vacate ordinance. The city says 25 restaurants have outdoor seating permits, of which 15 are downtown.