By the slenderest of margins, an effort to ban loud car stereos in Florida has been silenced.
The Florida Senate voted Friday to kill legislation that would have allowed police to pull you over if your car stereo could be heard more than 25 feet away.
The measure needed a majority of senators to pass, but it died on a tie vote.
Under the bill, police could have issued $30 tickets to offenders.
Opponents of the measure argued loud car stereos are just a momentary annoyance on the road and should not justify police intervention. They said traffic stops for loud stereos could easily escalate into more serious offenses.
Senators supporting the idea vented their frustrations with drivers who boom their stereos so loud that it shakes the windows. Plus, they said, it causes safety problems on the road.
Jeff Clemens, who sings in a rock and roll band, said the bill went too far.
This is ridiculous that were even having this debate," said Clemens, D-Lake Worth. "I dont know what kind of harm were talking about by having loud music, but it certainly doesnt rise to the kind of penalty that were talking about here.
Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, said he believes loud music makes roads unsafe. There is a public safety issue here. If you are at a red light, stopped and you have a booming, loud vehicle next to you, you will not be able to hear an emergency vehicle, and so there is public safety. It is good public policy.
Audrey Gibson, D-Jacksonville, argued, I like my music loud and I know other people who are my age who like their music loud too, and so 25 feet is not very far.
Meanwhile, Alan Hays, R-Umatilla, admitted he likes loud music in his car, but doesnt like it when other people turn it up very loud.
That doesnt mean that when Im in town or stopped at a traffic light somewhere that I want to hear the guy next to me, boom, boom, booming," Hays said. "Turn that thing down. So I think this is a good thing.
Rene Garcia, R-Hialeah, says the Senate passed a bill that makes texting, which can be deadly, a secondary offense, but doesnt think loud music warrants a primary offense. Yes, its offensive to me and it bothers me as well, but its not going to kill anyone. If it would have been a secondary offense, I think it would have been better for me to tolerate, so I say vote this bill down and let the music play.
Warned Wilton Simpson, R-Trilby, You may not hear ambulances coming in your car. So if youre the one who says we dont kill anybody, well, it may not kill somebody in your car for playing loud music, but it can kill the next guy where the ambulance cant get there because you dont get out of the way.
Oscar Braynon, D-Miami Gardens, calls momentary loud music just an annoyance. He said it seems like the bill targets people who like it and thats not fair. I continue to be against these because I feel its pointed and directed at one type of person and thats the type of person like me, who likes to hear their music loud.
Simpson pushed for the bill after the Florida Supreme Court struck down a similar law last year. That law was ruled unconstitutional because it made exceptions for blasting business or political content.
Dave Heller is a Tallahassee freelance reporter/videographer.
