Sarasota city leaders to vote on car noise crackdown

SARASOTA, Fla. (WFLA) — Sarasota city leaders are considering a change to city ordinances surrounding noise on Monday, cracking down on car music and sound.

The new rules repeal the city of Sarasota’s ordinance and put the city in line with Florida statute, meaning, if law enforcement can hear noise from a car from 25 feet away, that violator could be cited.

The previous city ordinance said law enforcement must be able to hear your car noise from 50 feet away, making this new rule a stricter rule. That ordinance was in place because the state Supreme Court previously found the Florida statute unconstitutional — but the statute has since been amended.

The new rules that Sarasota City Commissioners will hold a second reading and vote on Monday will also shift how the statute will be adjudicated. Instead of the county court reviewing cases, a special magistrate will do so, and those opinions can be appealed to the county court.

The city attorney said this would save money and help with scheduling.

The new law requires enforcement officials to give a warning to first-time offenders, and citations can come on second offenses or later, with the special magistrate determining the size of the fine.

According to the city attorney, fines would be determined by the gravity of the violation, the frequency of violations or warnings and any action or lack thereof to fix the problem, among other factors.

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