CAPE CORAL, Fla. — A new law in Florida will now limit how loud you can play your music in your car. Police officers can now pull you over if your music can be heard from at least 25 feet away while you’re driving.
“It can distract a person,” said Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno. “If that music is so loud they can’t hear an ambulance coming, they can’t hear a police vehicle coming.”
The music has to be “plainly audible” in order for an officer to pull you over.
According to the Florida Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles, “the officer need not determine the particular words or phrases being produced or the name of any song or artist producing the sound. The detection of a rhythmic bass reverberating type sound is sufficient to constitute a plainly audible sound.”
An officer can give a driver a $114 ticket, which is considered a traffic infraction. Drivers around Fort Myers have mixed reactions about the new law.
“I like my music loud, so that’s kinda sucky,” said Aiden, a Fort Myers driver.
Others feel the same way somewhat.
“It’s going to irritate me on some occasions,” said Craig, who sees the law as good and bad.
Another driver believes it shouldn’t be enforced 24/7.
“Maybe a time period, maybe between 11 at night and 6 in the morning, something like that because you’re going down residential streets and waking up the neighborhood,” said Denise. “But on a regular day like this, if you want to play your music play your music.”
The Lee County Sheriff’s Office will take an education approach first and give drivers a grace period.
“I want our deputies, my Lee County sheriff family members, to go out there and make sure we’re educating people on the new law,” Marceno explained.
The only exemptions are if the sound is being used for business or political purposes.
In the new law, it could be considered a non-moving violation if the sound is louder near places like schools, hospitals and churches.
