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Turn down the volume

For a concert promoter accused of tormenting local neighborhoods with loud music, Clear Channel Entertainment has a hard time hearing a simple message. Hillsborough County officials should not have to beg or deal, much less sue, to induce Clear Channel to lower the volume at its outdoor amphitheater on the Florida State Fairgrounds. Regulators say concerts at the venue have regularly violated the county's noise ordinance, disturbing neighbors and drawing hundreds of complaints.

The county regulates noise pollution as it does threats to air and water - to protect and improve the health and environmental quality of the area. Clear Channel knew the rules when it opened its amphitheater last year, working with Hillsborough's Environmental Protection Commission to keep the volume within the limit. But regulators sued in December, claiming the vast majority of concerts violate the noise ordinance. Several residents sued the company in May. Court hearings are scheduled for July and August should settlement talks break down in the interim.

The county is right to insist on compliance. Cutting Clear Channel a break would betray the residents and undermine the commission's standing to regulate noise in the future. It is notable that the commission, sharply divided along partisan lines, unanimously endorses the strong stance. Had the State Fair Authority done its public duty and interceded earlier, the problem might have been resolved before residents were forced to endure the busy summer concert season.

Clear Channel has stalled and painted itself as something of a victim, questioning its legal obligation to limit the noise and complaining that touring acts are in control of their own sound equipment. These are weak excuses for a major industry player who just moved into Hillsborough County and is faced with a public relations mess. Last week's disclosure by St. Petersburg Times staff writer Tom Zucco that the roof of the amphitheater was built 40 percent higher than the company told regulators it would be should embolden commissioners to insist on a functional, permanent fix.

The county's job is to enforce the law, not steer Clear Channel toward an easy solution. The company must decide what kind of corporate neighbor it wants to be. It should build a retaining wall, rein in the performers, move the speakers or do whatever else needs to be done. It shouldn't take until August to figure that out.

[Last modified June 18, 2005, 00:45:19]