Beach hotel’s noise levels found to be in compliance

Formerly the Postcard Inn, The Luce is a 200-room hotel in Marriott's Tribute Portfolio. Photo provided. A months-long dispute over noisy rooftop air-conditioning equipment at the former Postcard Inn in St. Pete Beach has ended, with the city finding the hotel in compliance and imposing no fines. City officials told Special Magistrate Erica Augello Monday that testing conducted Oct. 28 found no violations at the beachfront property, which reopened this summer as The Luce. The city also accepted the results of an independent sound study commissioned by the hotel. Augello found the property in compliance as of Oct. 28 and assessed $335 in administrative costs, bringing the enforcement case to a close. The dispute unfolded as one of St. Pete Beach’s oldest beachfront hotels was preparing to reopen after nearly two years. The property dates to 1957, when it opened as the Colonial Gateway Inn, and later became the Postcard Inn, a longtime beach bar and poolside gathering spot. Hurricane damage forced the resort to close in 2024, and an extensive renovation brought it back in June as The Luce, a 200-room hotel in Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio. Residents of the neighboring Silver Sands condominium complex complained that the hotel’s rooftop cooling system disrupted their sleep and made it difficult to enjoy their homes. At a July hearing, resident Lisette Natoli testified that the equipment kept her from enjoying coffee on her balcony and disturbed her sleep. She said she could hear the noise even with her hurricane shutters closed, according to the magistrate’s written order. Several other residents submitted written complaints describing similar problems. City inspectors took noise measurements from five neighboring condominium units June 29. Four exceeded the city’s nighttime limit of 55 decibels, leading Augello to find the hotel in violation of St. Pete Beach’s noise ordinance. The hotel had already begun trying to fix the problem. Workers installed sound-dampening blankets around the cooling equipment, which reduced the noise but not enough to satisfy the city’s requirements, according to the July order. The hotel also explored a custom-engineered damper. Attorney Kevin Reali said the system could cost six figures and take months to manufacture and install. By August, the hotel had made another discovery. The software controlling the cooling equipment had not been properly calibrated, affecting fan speeds and operating times. Reali told the magistrate that adjustments reduced noise levels by 10 to 13 decibels. Daytime measurements subsequently showed compliance, although overnight testing remained unresolved. The improvement did not settle the case. At a Sept. 14 hearing , the city presented additional readings showing the equipment still exceeded local noise limits, including measurements taken from neighboring condominium units during overnight hours. Reali questioned why the city’s measurements varied so widely over a short period, particularly after the equipment adjustments. Some readings differed by nearly 20 decibels within minutes, prompting him to request independent testing before the hotel committed to more expensive work. “It is going to be potentially six figures to engineer the damper,” Reali said at the time, “and we can’t do that on a random measurement.” Augello granted the request, and the hotel subsequently submitted its own sound study for the city’s review. At Monday’s hearing, code enforcement officer Ayako Ruckdeschel said the city had reviewed the study and was willing to accept its findings. Inspectors also conducted another round of testing Oct. 28 at the neighboring condominium units. Ruckdeschel said no violations were found. The city requested that the case be closed, with the hotel responsible only for administrative costs. Augello agreed, finding the property in compliance as of Oct. 28 and assessing $335. Reali accepted the charge on the hotel’s behalf. The hearing did not establish what additional work, if any, had been done to the cooling equipment since September. “We are very happy to finally be at the end of this one,” Reali said. Share Tweet Share Related Topics: air conditioning noise Postcard Inn St. Pete Beach St. Petersburg The Luce Click to comment Subscribe to the Daily Spark Get the latest right to your phone Subscription Form Name Email Subscribe Subscribe to the Daily Spark Get the latest right to your phone Subscription Form Name Email Subscribe You may like