Last week, the mayor made waves when he declared that City Hall would finally start adhering to the letter of the law, and stop granting 4:00 AM extensions to bars and nightclubs that weren’t soundproofed. He was talking mainly about the “entertainment stripâ€￾ on Princess Margaret drive extending from the BTL Park to the Hour Bar. It adjoins a residential area, and after a town meeting, the mayor decided that residents had endured too much.

Well, even though his city council is very divided on the issue because of the loss of revenue, and of social life, the Department of the Environment today let it be known that it has the Mayor’s back.

That Department sent out a release talking about noise pollution, and says, it quote, “supports the Mayor…and the Belize City Council in enforcing legislation that exists to ensure that there is a balance between the economic development of Belize and a healthy environment for all.â€￾ It adds, quote, “This specific area…has been a challenging location for the DOE on the issue of noise pollution.â€￾

And taking it further than the city council, the DOE says ALL Liquor Licensing Boards countrywide should check with the DOE before they issues liquor licenses. According to law, the DOE should first approve those establishments as being soundproof. The statement puts it like this: “For too long violators of the noise abatement regulations have gone unregulated, making it a norm in our society to just accept that violating our laws is a way of life.â€￾