A noisy issue

Tuesday, December 21, 2004

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The facility opened in July.

Hillsborough County is trying to temporarily shut down the Ford Amphitheatre.

Attorneys for the Environmental Protection Commission of Hillsborough County filed a lawsuit Tuesday, asking a judge to decide on the matter before the next scheduled concert, Hank Williams Jr. on Jan. 29.

The suit asks for owners of the Amphitheatre to stop concerts until they can operate within noise level limits.

Sound engineers for the county say they have documented 37 separate violations of Hillsborough's noise standards since the facility opened in July. The EPC has received 162 complaints from nearby homeowners saying noise from the multi-million dollar facility is too loud.

Many nearby residents have complained about the noise.

Attorneys for the EPC say they want a judge to issue a temporary injunction.

"To prevent further concerts at the Ford Amphitheatre until they can prove that they can hold a concert and not violate the EPC's noise rule," said EPC attorney Richard Tschantz.

An Amphitheatre representative says the facility remains committed to working with the EPC and the Florida State Fairgrounds in regards to this matter.

The EPC says Amphitheatre owners are supposed to come to up with proposed solutions to the noise problem.

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