JACKSONVILLE, Fla. -- After enough noise was made at City Hall on Tuesday night, the Jacksonville City Council voted unanimously to withdraw a bill that would have banned a dozen of the ticketed events at Metropolitan Park.
The bill was proposed by City Councilman Don Redman in an effort to appease neighbors complaining about the loud music generated from concerts at the outdoor venue.
"I didn't come here with any intention to speak, but I'm speaking on behalf of my home and what I have experienced," said Lyn Corley. Corley has lived in St. Nicholas for 11 years and says the music in Metro Park has become almost unbearable. "It is significant noise coming into our homes. I don't want the noise to continue," she said.
The battle over music dominated the majority of the city council meeting Tuesday. Music promoter Danny Wimmer flew all the way from California to be there for it.
"I'm here to help grow the city," Wimmer told the council. "I think the future of Jacksonville involves music." Wimmer, a Jacksonville native, is involved with booking several of the shows at Metro Park, including Welcome to Rockville. He told council he has already invested more than a million dollars.
So doing the Beastie Boys proud, he came ready to "fight for his right." "Jacksonville has such a big reach in music and it just makes sense to have festivals here," said Wimmer. And after many minutes of public comment, City Council seemed to hear him, and the rest of those opposed to the bill, loud and clear. Tuesday, there was a unanimous vote to withdraw the bill in its current form and start again from scratch. A committee will be formed to further study the issue, which will be discussed again at the upcoming rules committee meeting on February 4.
