Today, three Miami nightclubs will square off with downtown Miami residents over citations for loud music. Heart Nightclub, E11even, and Club Space will contest $500 citations stemming back from Memorial Day Weekend in which residents complained that the clubs’ music was too loud and disruptive.
On one side, the clubs believe there’s no definitive evidence showing that their music disturbed nearby residents. On the other hand, you have residents along Biscayne Boulevard that have had enough of the music. Today, they plan to ask the city to strengthen their grip on the clubs’ noise. Their main focus is to force the clubs to move their outdoor spaces indoors. Allan Schwartz, one of the annoyed residents stated, “We’ve had enough of the destruction of the enjoyment of our homes. We expected city noise when we bought or rented apartments in the entertainment district, but we did not expect the law to be broken 52 weekends a year.” Miami’s noise ordinance states that noise audible more than 100 feet from the source violates the law.
E11even, the 24/7 club, has moved their rooftop shows inside in response to the complaints even though they are filing for dismissal of the Memorial Day citations. Heart and Space have not matched Elleven’s move and continue to have rooftop shows. They argue that the noise is only heard from the street, not from residents’ dwellings. Only time will tell if this is true or not.
To be fair, E11even, Heart, and Space have all been there longer than the buildings that were built around them. Some of the residents even acknowledged that they moved into that district expecting noise, just not to this extent. The clubs argue that the residents should have known what to expect when they moved in. But the residents say the clubs should adjust to the new residents moving in. Two very different and problematic points of view.
In the end, the clubs are actually trying to cooperate with the residents. E11even moved their rooftop shows inside, Heart consulted an acoustic engineer, and Space made efforts to subdue their noise. With that being said, the three clubs will still contest the $500 fines issued on Memorial Day, and try to figure out once and for all if their noise penetrates the apartment buildings. You can hear a snippet of the loud noise below.
