ST. PETE BEACH, Fla. (WFLA) — New rules are in the works designed to keep St. Pete Beach neighborhoods peaceful and quiet.

But months after back-to-back hurricanes, businesses that are still struggling are worried that forcing them to turn down the volume could be devastating.

“It feels like it just kind of came out of nowhere. That’s kind of the hardest thing to take, and it feels like a gut punch,” said Jeff Hyde the Operations Director of the Toasted Monkey Group.

“At the Toasted Monkey, we were completely decimated, you know. So we got inspected, all the damage, and then we just had to play the waiting game with the city to get permits, you know it took months,” said Hyde.

Now as the restaurant starts to rebuild, Hyde said the new proposed noise ordinance is adding to their concerns.

“It affects everybody. It affects the community, but also the hospitality industry that has been knocked down and beaten down for the last couple of months, Hyde said. “Now we have to deal with this. This is going to affect tourism, and it’s going to affect small businesses and it just doesn’t make sense.”

City leaders are considering adding a new rule to the current noise ordinance that would limit noise that is “plainly audible” within 200 feet of residential areas from 10 p.m. and 7 a.m., and 500 feet during the day.

“The sheriff’s office can go there. They can hear the noise if it’s at the right distance and then enforce the ordinance,” said St. Pete Beach Mayor Adrian Petrila.

City leaders said the new addition would make the ordinance more enforceable, as it’s currently measured by decibels.

“Some of it has to do with the equipment that we have to use for it, and also having to rely on the sheriff. They have to come to City Hall to get the equipment and go back out there. A lot of times by that point the noise is already dissipated, or the offenders are gone,” said Mayor Petrila.

The ordinance still needs to pass a second reading. Although it is not on the agenda for Tuesday’s city council meeting, the local restaurant community is planning to meet at a restaurant, to then march to the meeting to express their concerns.

“It affects the hospitality industry as a whole. It affects the musicians, the servers, management teams, this affects everything. It’s a trickle-down effect and I don’t think they understand the impact it’s going to have on local businesses in the community as a whole,” said Hyde.