CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. — On Tuesday, Charlotte County commissioners will revisit noise concerns from the Waterford Estates neighborhood, tied to the nearby sheriff’s office firing range, just east of Punta Gorda.
According to county documents, live-fire noise testing conducted in April 2024, measured sound levels during handgun and rifle training at the range on Airport Road.
Watch Fox 4's Alex Orenczuk report on the noise dispute:
Testing used professional sound meters placed at multiple locations along the subdivision boundary, where average readings were about 77 decibels, a level county staff say is comparable to heavy traffic and within accepted health and safety limits for short-duration noise exposure.
The report notes that impact noise from gunfire is not regulated under federal or state standards, and benchmarks were instead compared against Occupational Safety and Health Administration guidelines, which focus on prolonged exposure over an eight-hour period.
County staff concluded the test results fell within acceptable limits.
Still, commissioners will review potential noise mitigation options, though staff say choices are limited.
The study showed dense vegetation can reduce noise, but effective buffers typically require 30 to 200 feet of space.
The firing range itself has about six feet available, making on-site vegetative buffering impractical. A hardened sound wall similar to highway barriers could reduce noise by 5 to 10 decibels but would cost an estimated $500,000.
As a result, staff recommend Waterford Estates restore hurricane-damaged vegetation with sound-attenuating landscaping rather than pursue major construction at the range.
In a statement, the sheriff’s office acknowledged the concerns but emphasized the need for continued training:
“The firing range noise has been brought up before, leading the county to conduct a study a few years ago, which found the noise to be within the acceptable level. Understanding the concern, Sheriff Prummell and CCSO do want to be good neighbors and have taken steps to do that. We post our range dates and restrict the hours of when we are firing. That said, our deputies must be proficient with their firearms in order to be of service to the citizens of Charlotte County, and to do that, they must train – which is the purpose of the range. We will continue to do everything we can to be as accommodating as possible, but it is our duty to make sure our deputies are maintaining their certifications and are properly trained and equipped for the field.”
The agenda item does not call for a vote, but commissioners are expected to discuss the findings and during Tuesday’s meeting.
