The Citizens Coalition Against Noise Pollution
Florida
Turn It Down. It's The Law.
In St. Petersburg, Florida, billboards have been posted advising motorists to turn down their loud car stereo systems. The NoiseOFF billboards are part of a campaign to raise awareness of state laws governing the volume of car stereos.
Judy Ellis, an activist, created the campaign by applying to the Public Service division of a local outdoor advertising company. There are five billboards across St. Petersburg in strategic locations to catch the attention of motorists.
There is currently a program that enables residents to report noise offenders. It allows citizens to send a post card to the city reporting the license tag, place, date and other information; based on that report the St. Petersburg Police Department sends a "soft letter" to the car’s owner reminding them that there is a state law against loud stereo noise and asking the driver to obey the law and respect those around him. A "soft letter" carries no fine or penalty but it does work because it tells offenders that someone is watching them.
When The Noisy Neighbor Is The Law
It’s hard enough getting thoughtless people to curb their loud music habit but it's doubly stressful when the source of that noise is a law enforcement officer.
Florida has a new state law that forbids a car stereo to be plainly audible more than twenty five feet from the vehicle, but that didn't concern the deputy sheriff from routinely blasting music from his pick-up truck in the driveway.
Nearly driven out of their house, the neighbor requested that this activity cease; in response, the deputy backed the truck up almost to the couple's windows. A complaint to his employer produced a finding that because the deputy was not in uniform when he boomed in his truck or when his teenagers enjoyed themselves, the sheriff had no problem with his officer's unprofessional and illegal behavior.
A letter from an anti-noise activist, a member of NoiseOFF, forced the sheriff to call his deputy on the carpet, which should have been the end of the matter. Instead, the angry deputy took it on himself to call the activist, pretending to be an official spokesperson for the sheriff's office even while refusing to give his name. The activist filed a formal complaint, with details of this highly irregular telephone call, and that was enough to bring the deputy before his boss for a final warning. Since then there has been peace and quiet in this corner of Florida.
Law enforcement officers arrogant enough to think that their noise is somehow different or exempt can be an enormous embarrassment to their agency. It is unfortunate that this sheriff did not take firm and immediate steps the moment he heard that one of his own was behaving so badly, in or out of uniform.
The lesson here is that persistence pays off, that we cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated in the quest for our right to the peaceful enjoyment of our property, least of all by the very people who are paid to serve and protect us.
Noise Abatement Done Right
The citizens of St. Petersburg, Florida, are resting a little easier these days, thanks to a one-two punch delivered first by the state and then by the local police force.
On July 1, 2005, an amendment to the state's noise ordinance (Fla. Stat. 316.3045) went into effect, reducing the audibility requirement for noise emanating from a vehicle from 100' to 25'(see "Florida Bans The Boom" below). Law enforcement was delighted with this new tool, because it makes it much easier for officers to pull over vehicles that might be not only violating the noise ordinance but also transporting drugs, persons wanted on warrants, illegal weapons and the like. Instead of having to mark off 100', or guess how far noise is traveling, under the new law a police officer can ticket virtually anyone he hears around him.
Citizens are even more pleased - the new law was widely publicized on paper and on the air and, as the Police Department's District I Commander put it, "the word is out." The drop in incidents of booming on main roads was immediate and measurable as St. Pete's finest began ticketing on the day the law went into effect.
In early 2004, it was almost impossible to get the police to pay attention to this problem. Now, thanks to national attention, new citizens' groups, meetings with police enforcement personnel and directives from the top down to focus on making the new law work, the streets are noticeably quieter. There is still work to be done, but local anti-boom activist Judy Ellis says that the St. Petersburg Police Department is doing its job and, she is convinced, will go on doing its job until the offenders get the message that booming is going to cost them. Ellis says, "If other police departments would only recognize that it is not a major, time-consuming or expensive thing to stop the noise, and that in the end it takes a significant bite out of other crime, a lot of cities and towns in this country would be happier places to live."
Slow It Down, Turn It Down
Following the state law in Florida that prohibits booming (plainly audible standard at 25'), this pamphlet is part of a public awareness campaign designed to remind drivers that blasting loud music is against the law that will result in a traffic citation.
Kevin Beary, Sheriff
Orange County Sheriff's Office 2005 [PDF]
Florida Bans The Boom
A statewide law restricting the volume of automobile stereos goes into effect. Any music audible 25 feet away or more is too loud, and the driver can be fined $68.50. The law represents a big change. Until now, only music loud enough to be heard 100 feet or more from a car was deemed illegal. We can thank the police and legislators concerned about the safety effects of booming.
The pounding bass noise decreases drivers' ability to hear pedestrians and other vehicles near them. That also includes emergency vehicles, such as police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks.
Noise Disturbing Woman's Peace
For the last six months, Kathy Ferris hasn't been able to get rid of a nearly constant thumping in her house. Just about every day, she has heard what sounds like a loud booming stereo, but she can't find where it is coming from. In addition, not everyone can hear what Ferris hears.
Isaac Sabetai
Northwest Florida Daily News 2005 [PDF]
Civil Lawsuit Against Boomer Successful
18-year old Ryan Jennings learned a valuable lesson in respecting the rights of others. Using his boom car to blast music at all hours in St. Petersburg, Florida, a neighbor took action against him that got results. Judy Ellis, a member of the neighborhood crime patrol, advised him that he was playing music too loud and that it was against the law.
His response was, "What do you want me to do, lady? Cry you a river?"
That was when Judy took the extrordinary action of filing a civil lawsuit against him. Within a week, the story was picked up in the St. Petersburg Times and on television news. By taking legal action against individuals who persist in denying the rights of others to peace and quiet in their own homes, she set a precedent and gave hope to everyone suffering from this abuse.
Within days, Ryan Jennings met with Judy Ellis and submitted a letter of apology, and he dismantled his boom car equipment. Other boomers in the area are getting the message that booming is not only wrong, but illegal. As a citizens coalition, we are getting results.
Up To Her Woofers with Misery, Neighbor Sues Teen
St. Petersburg Times (FL) - November 21, 2004
A Lakewood Estates woman, has teamed up with antinoise folks across the nation, is after the blasting, throbbing music of a vehicle and its owner she says are terrorizing her neighborhood. She filed a lawsuit against a young boomer in a bid to quiet his music and get monetary damages.
St. Pete Woman Sues Her Way To Silence
CBS Tampa Bay's Channel 10 News (FL) - December 1, 2004
While most people have heard loud bass-beats booming from a nearby car while waiting at an intersection, a St. Pete woman claims the sounds were invading her home. After a young neighbor began booming his way to school early in the morning, she asked police to help. They sent him a letter. When that didn't work, she sued.
Noise Disturbing Woman's Peace
For the last six months, Kathy Ferris hasn't been able to get rid of a nearly constant thumping in her house. Just about every day, she has heard what sounds like a loud booming stereo, but she can't find where it is coming from. In addition, not everyone can hear what Ferris hears.
Isaac Sabetai
Northwest Florida Daily News 2005 [PDF]
Up To Her Woofers with Misery, Neighbor Sues Teen
A woman says a young driver's tendency to pump up the volume has hurt her health. He'd like the lawsuit to go away.
Waveney Ann Moore
St. Petersburg Times 2004 [PDF]
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