Police Chief Wants to Quiet Loud Car Stereos

Tampa's police chief is asking neighborhood groups to urge lawmakers to support a bill that would better equip officers to pull over and ticket motorists whose car stereos are blaring loudly and distracting other drivers.

Tampa Police Chief Jane E. Castor supports an initiative by the Florida Police Chiefs Association to support a bill entitled "Relating to Sound Devices in Motor Vehicles."

It amends existing law by defining disruptive noise as "plainly audible from 25 feet or more from a vehicle." (See attached PDF of the proposed amended law.)

"As it stands, loud noise from cars is one of our biggest quality of life complaints and there is literally nothing we can do about it," Castor said in an email. "Having this tool would allow us to control it much more effectively."

Supporters say current laws regulating loud car stereos are too vague and subjective.

According to the Police Chiefs Association: "Law Enforcement agencies throughout Florida receive hundreds of complaints annually regarding loud music emitted from in car stereo systems.  Two examples are the City of Tampa and the City of Brooksville.  According to Chief Castor of the Tampa PD, this is one of the top three complaints that they receive from the citizenry."

 The Tampa Police Department receives between 250 and 300 complaints every year relating to loud car stereos. 

The bill calls for "a distance of 25 feet from the vehicle for enforcement purposes.  Local governments would be allowed to establish further restrictions if they see fit.

According to the Police Chiefs Association:

"Law Enforcement officers in Florida believe that the noise created by these in car stereo systems creates potentially hazardous driving situations on our local and state roadways. Law Enforcement officers also believe that the in-car stereo systems create noise that disrupts neighborhoods and the tranquility of parks, beaches, city centers and other public places."

The bill is expected to be heard before the Transportation Committee, and police chiefs are urging neighborhood groups to make themselves heard about the issue. 

For more information

Contact the Florida Police Chiefs Association, P.O. Box 14038, Tallahassee, FL 32317. Phone: 850-219-3631. Email: amercer@fpca.com

To share your views on Senate Bill 634, contact  Sen. Brandes, Jeff, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee. Phone: (850) 487-5022