Lewrissa Mainwaring takes the oath of office from County Judge James T. Browning.
By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Newly sworn Chiefland City Commissioner Lewrissa Mainwaring got her first taste of governing Tuesday when the question of how the city should deal with loud stereos surfaced.
Mayor Chris Jones asked City Manager Mary Ellzey Tuesday to bring back information to the next meeting on how the city can control noise from loud car and truck stereos in light of recent incidents.
No other official action was taken. Mainwaring was sworn in by County Judge James T. Browning and took her seat behind the dais. Her name plate won’t be added to the dais until the next city commission meeting.
The worst of the noise incidents occurred at the corner of State Road 345 and U.S. 19 in south Chiefland when a truck equipped from head to tail with loud stereo speakers was blasting music for blocks.
There may have been more than one block party that night; either that or the party at SR 345 and U.S. 19 was moving to different locations disturbing a new set of neighbors.
City Attorney Norm Fugate discusses the city’s current noise ordinance with Commissioners Tim West. Rollin Hudson, Mayor Chris Jones and Lewrissa Mainwaring.
Commissioner Rollin Hudson said the party he heard was on the street that leads to the City Barn and industrial park.
Commissioners discussed the need for better noise controls at their regular city commission meeting, which was moved to Tuesday night to avoid Veterans Day.
Police Chief Scott Anderson said a court case in 2013 ruled that police could no longer issue citations when they could hear loud stereos 100 feet away. Anderson said the law was thrown out by the Florida Supreme Court. The high court ruled that stereo owners had a First Amendment right to blast loud music.
“We used to write tickets years ago if you could hear somebody’s vehicle stereo from 100 feet; you could write a ticket, but the Florida Supreme Court said it was freedom of expression and it was unconstitutional,” Anderson said.
Anderson said a new state law passed by the Florida Legislature permits law enforcement to issue citations when they can hear loud music from 25 feet away. He said he informed City Attorney Norm Fugate about the new law.
“I told Mr. Fugate it’s back on the books again and I didn’t want to act until I knew more,” Anderson said.
The chief said if he goes to south Chiefland and tries to enforce the new state law without city commission backing he could be accused of racism. He wants to wait to find out what the city commission wants to do about controlling stereo noise before he attempts to do enforcement.
Federal Reimbursement
Commissioners accepted their final federal reimbursement resulting from Hurricane Irma in 2017. The city received an additional $491.17 in additional to the roughly $60,000 they were approved for earlier. The larger of the two payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency was mainly for overtime, according to Ellzey. The $491.17 was for trash pickup.
Wal-Mart Grant
Fire Chief James Harris said Wal-Mart in Chiefland informed him they didn’t have enough money to fund his request for equipment, but company suggested he apply for a Wal-Mart Community Grant from other stores in the area.
Commissioners said they had no objection to Harris applying for grants with other Wal-Mart stores in the area.
Sidewalk Project Moving forward
The city’s request to the Florida Department of Transportation for construction of a sidewalk along State Road 345 from the Chiefland Cemetery area to U.S. 19 is about to bear fruit.
City Manager Mary Ellzey said she thinks the design and engineering of the project should begin next year, and if her memory serves her well, the sidewalk would be constructed in 2022.
The sidewalk was requested by Hudson a number of years ago.
“I know some folks who passed away waiting for this sidewalk,” Hudson said.
Residents of a large public housing project along SR 345 are forced to walk along the busy highway to reach the downtown area of Chiefland. Hudson said the walk along the highway is dangerous. He wanted the sidewalk constructed earlier.
The state’s sidewalk program moves slowly. Ellzey’s comments at the meeting were in response to Hudson’s request for an update on the project.
Turkey Day Tournament
Commissioners authorized the use of the Train Depot Park in south Chiefland for a fundraiser.
Organizers will use the park on Nov. 17 to generate funds for an 8-and-under football team to travel to the Turkey Bowl.
The fundraiser will run from 10 a.m. until sunset. Organizers plan to set up for the event around 8 a.m.
City of Chiefland Regular Meeting November 12, 2019; Posted November 13, 2019
