Newly re-opened Luce hotel faces a six-figure noise problem

The former Postcard Inn weathered the 2024 hurricanes, underwent a major overhaul and re-opened this summer as The Luce, a 200-room hotel in Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio. Just months into its comeback, one of St. Pete Beach’s best-known hotel properties is under scrutiny over noise from a rooftop air conditioner.

City code enforcement says equipment at the 6300 Gulf Blvd. property repeatedly exceeded St. Pete Beach’s noise limits. The hotel doesn’t necessarily dispute that the machine makes noise, but its attorney questions whether the city’s measurements are consistent enough to justify a fix that could cost six figures.

That disagreement landed before Special Magistrate Erica Augello Monday, where attorney Kevin Reali asked for more time to bring in an independent acoustical engineer.

The dispute dates to June, shortly after the beachfront property reopened. A previous stipulated order found the property in violation of city noise regulations after four of five measurements taken June 29 exceeded allowable levels. St. Pete Beach limits noise at the property line to 65 decibels during the day and 55 at night.

The hotel subsequently made repairs, according to Reali. But another round of testing Aug. 25 produced readings that he said raised questions about the consistency of the city’s measurements.

During Monday’s hearing, readings were cited showing 49.9 decibels at 6:15 a.m., 61.1 at 6:19, 69.7 at 6:24 and 54.5 at 6:27.

For context, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration puts normal conversation at about 60 decibels, while classroom chatter is around 70. That puts the city’s readings across a range that went from quieter than normal conversation to roughly the sound level of a busy room.

Reali questioned how the readings could vary so widely within about 12 minutes if they were measuring the same piece of equipment.

“The machine does not change,” Reali said, arguing that the air-conditioning equipment is either running or it isn’t.

That matters because the next potential fix isn’t a routine service call. Reali said the hotel has been advised that designing and installing an additional sound-dampening system could become a major expense.

The city, however, already has measurements showing violations and previously obtained a stipulated finding that the property violated its noise ordinance. The hotel now wants independent testing before undertaking additional work.

Reali said the hotel has retained an acoustical engineer from Gainesville to conduct that testing. An outside consultant has already raised questions about the variation in the city’s readings and the effect of repairs made at the property, according to Reali.

City representatives objected Monday to relying on that written assessment without the professional who prepared it available to testify. Augello allowed Reali to discuss it in support of his request for more time, but did not treat the consultant’s conclusions as substantive evidence.

The code case remains under the name of the property’s ownership entity, LCP S Postcard Inn LLC. For the city, the question before the magistrate remains whether equipment at the property complies with St. Pete Beach’s noise limits.

Augello agreed Monday to give the property time to obtain independent testing. The city did not object, and the case was continued until Oct. 12 at 10 a.m. Augello encouraged Reali to provide the engineer’s findings to city staff beforehand so both sides could review the results before returning to the hearing room.

For Reali, those results could determine whether the hotel undertakes another expensive modification.

“It is going to be potentially six figures to engineer the damper,” Reali said, “and we can’t do that on a random measurement.”