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Sarasota To Tow Vehicles And Fine Drivers For Loud Music

Tribune file photo by ROBERT BURKE (2005)

This driver added 50 speakers, 24 TV's, all with a 5,800 watt audio system to his 2002 PT Cruiser.

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By KEITH MORELLI | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 20, 2008

Updated: 05/20/2008 12:24 pm

TAMPA - In an age-old conflict between the pursuit of happiness and the right to remain undisturbed, the Sarasota City Commission last night sided with the undisturbed.

The commission stiffened penalties for drivers of vehicles with loud sound systems that can cause alarms to go off in nearby parked cars, dogs to bark and older drivers to cringe.

The action made Sarasota the most expensive place in the state to get written up for having the car audio system volume cranked.

Not only does the new ordinance impose a $74 fine on first-time offenders, but it also gives law enforcement the authority to impound the bone-rattling, subwoofer-ized vehicle.

Cha-ching. That's another $125 to get it out of the impound yard. Last year, Sarasota police handed out nearly 300 citations for excessively loud car stereos.

The law which was approved by a 3-2 vote takes effect immediately, although there is a three-month grace period in which violators will be warned about the new impound law, but won't have their vehicles towed.

The law targets drivers of cars whose sound systems can be heard 25 feet away. It mirrors a state law passed two years ago, but with stiffer penalties.

Bruce Le, owner of Soundwave, which installs custom sound systems in Sarasota, said he doubts the new law will affect his business.

"I don't think it's going to slow people down," he said this morning. "They are just going to watch how they play it."

The sluggish economy has cut into his business a little bit, he said, but there are still people out there who love to hear good quality, loud music in their vehicles.

He has installed audio equipment for 15 years and has owned Soundwave for the past seven years, he said.

"The good thing about this business," he said, "is that people still like good sound systems in their cars."

The average customer at Soundwave is in their 20s or 30s and typically spends about $1,000 on the system, which basically is a Fiberglas box with top-notch speakers. It doesn't include CD players, radios or tape decks, he said.

He's ambivalent about the new ordinance. Although he said it's good because he hates to see people abusing their equipment, it's bad because of the little bit of freedom that was chipped away.

"I don't think it's right personally," he said, "for people to tell you that you have to listen to music a certain way."

Noise Off, the Web site for the Citizens Coalition Against Noise Pollution, a group dead set against loud car stereos, said custom sound systems in cars can be expensive and disturbing.

"After-market sound systems were originally marketed as a means to enjoy improved sound quality and convenience in a vehicle by replacing the factory stock sound system," the Web site says. "Today, the car audio industry promotes thuggery and passive-aggressive behavior in the use of their products.

"The car audio industry promotes 'booming' to typically lower-middle class males in their teens and 20s with some disposable income," the Web site says. "They assume their car will attract women and improve their social standing among their peers."

The site gave a brief wrap-up of legislative action around the nation dealing with loud sound systems:
In Lorain, Ohio, the site says, repeat offenders risk having their car impounded and their stereo equipment destroyed.

In Gulfport, Miss., police have launched a public service campaign to raise awareness of the city's noise ordinance, which sets a penalty of up to $1,000 for disturbing the peace.

Sarasota didn't stop at $74 for first-time offenders.

Second-timers face a $250 fine and the $125 impound fee, which increases if the vehicle is not claimed within a few days.

Third-time violators could be fined $500.

Though the stricter ordinance was passed in Sarasota, Hillsborough law enforcement officers don't see boom cars as much of a problem.

Hillsborough County sheriff's Cpl. Demetrios Antoniadis, who supervises the traffic enforcement unit in District 1, which covers the area around the University of South Florida, said boom cars aren't that big a problem.

"Do violations occur? Yeah, sporadically they do occur," he said. "Depending on where you live, it may be more prevalent than in other places."

The demographics of his district are such that he probably has more violators than elsewhere in the county, he said, but still, complaints have been few.

"I wouldn't say it's a major problem," he said.

He said typically when a violator is spotted by a deputy, the deputy usually will tell the driver to turn it down or stiff fines can be imposed. That usually does the trick, he said.

He thinks towing cars is unnecessary, that it's an added expense some people just can't afford.

Plus, there's the added liability involved of towing and impounding vehicles.

"It's more aggravation that it's worth," he said. "We love it when we can get somebody to come and pick up a car and sign the release."

Information from the Sarasota Herald-Tribune was used in this report. Reporter Keith Morelli can be reached at (813) 259-7760 or kmorelli@tampatrib.com.

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