St. Augustine officials hope nights are quieter under a new noise ordinance passed on June 23, 2025. | Vicki Palombo Kirby
Published on June 23, 2025 at 10:10 pm
Free local news and info, in your inbox at 6 a.m. M-F. Sign up for the Jacksonville Today newsletter.
New rules the city of St. Augustine adopted Monday will make it easier for the city to crack down on loud and disruptive noises coming from people, vehicles and businesses in the overnight hours.
The changes have been more than a year in the making — city officials have conducted studies, worked with consultants and discussed how to make the rules against disruptive nighttime sounds more effective. Those 15 months of work culminated in unanimous approval by the St. Augustine City Commission Monday night.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
“Residents have been heard, and I think it’s time we fully support this,” Vice Mayor Barbara Blonder said. “It’s been well-vetted, it’s got a lot of expertise in it, it’s got a lot of time put into it.”
The old rules required a resident to complain about a disruptive noise, and only then could the city send out an officer with a decibel meter before anything could be done.
Now, officers can use their own instincts — if a speaker, animal, street vendor or power tool is obviously disruptive, an officer can try to put a stop to the noise.
Jacksonville Today thanks our sponsors. Become one.
Loud noises that are exempt from the rules include warning alarms and church bells.
While previous discussions about a potential noise ordinance had drawn concern from local business owners about stifling the local nightlife, no business owners spoke up during Monday evening’s meeting.
Scott Maynard, the St. Johns County Chamber of Commerce’s senior vice president of economic development & public policy, said he had also not heard complaints from local business owners about the proposed new rules.
His only request was that the city consider starting enforcing the ordinance later — it remains in effect from 10 p.m.-7 a.m. on weeknights and 11 p.m.-7 a.m. on weekends and holidays — to give barhoppers more uninterrupted party time.
City Commissioner Jon DePreter responded that the new rules are not set in stone and could be amended in the future.
Among the people who did address the City Commission about the new rules: Scott York, who lives right in the heart of Downtown St. Augustine. He thanked the city for the changes and the acknowledgement that while the historic Downtown is a great place to work and visit, people live there, too.
The new noise ordinance goes into effect next month.
