Playing Loud Music in Your Car in Florida? Now Risk Being Pulled Up

There are drivers across Florida who often like to roll down their car windows and blast their favorite music at full volume. Now risk being fined for such an action. The new law, beginning this Friday allows cops to stop drivers playing loud music that is “plainly audible” from 25 feet away and impose a noncriminal infraction charge on them. This could mean a $116 fine in Pinellas County.

As per the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, ‘plainly audible’ is any sound that can be detected by people with normal hearing. The rule states that the officer just needs to detect “a rhythmic bass reverberating type sound” to impose a fine on the owner of the vehicle.

The law has been garnered stricter in sensitive areas like near schools, churches, and hospitals. At the root of this measure is a wider bill that was proposed as a result of the crackdown on pop up parties that were observed in places like Daytona Beach and others. Such gatherings draw in a large number of people and create a ruckus with too much noise.

Rep. Tom Leek who sponsored the legislation in the Florida House has said, “They kind of invade the area, take it over, shut down roads and just basically have a party and tear through the neighborhoods.” According to the legislation passed, local authorities are granted the power to map out “special event zones” where pop up parties are suspected to take place. People who break the law and commit a traffic infraction in these zones will be fined double and will have their vehicle impounded by the enforcement for three days.

While there are many commoners who support these new legislations and rules, there are others who fear that the police might abuse the power bestowed upon them to pull over drivers for unrelated reasons. The Florida state director for Fines and Fees Justice Center, Sarah Couture, is of the view that imposing such hefty fines on Floridians will only make life more difficult for them as they already struggle with rising costs of food, gas, and rent.

Up until 2012, Florida had a similar law but the State Supreme Court struck it down when a St. Petersberg lawyer challenged it on the basis that it was discriminatory towards certain speeches as against others. According to that law, commercial and political advertising from vehicles was not permitted. Despite the exemption of this aspect from the new law, lawyers like Richard Catalano called the new version “even worse than the original statute.”

Catalano is recorded to have emailed the Tampa Bay Times that, “It is facially unconstitutional and rife for abuse…It’s just a matter of time before this statute’s constitutionality is challenged and it is set aside once again”. The police have, however, taken all the necessary steps to ensure the law is abided by.

The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office recorded in a statement, “As with any new laws that take effect, the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office will review them to determine if our current practices are in line with the changes”. As with any other traffic rules, the officers at the station can now impose fines on drivers blasting music from their cars. In the case of an accident caused by one of these violations, one should contact a Pensacola Car Accident Lawyer for support.