The City of Tampa is less than a month away from enacting an ordinance designed to crack down on motorists who refuse to turn down the volume on their car stereos, with repeat offenders looking at a possible jail sentence.
The Tampa City Council, upon its first reading, approved a proposed ordinance that will outlaw car noise that can be heard from 50 feet away or more. A first offense would result in a $250 fine, a second citation would result in a $450 fine, and a third offense would cost the driver $500 and/or the possibility of serving up to 60 days in jail.
The Council has heard for months (in some cases, years) from angry citizens fed up with unruly motorists, but their hands were tied after the Florida Supreme Court struck down a state law regarding noise late last year. The Florida Legislature attempted to remedy that during their recently conducted session, but the bill failed in the state Senate.
This article appears in May 16-22, 2013.