The City of Pensacola and the Downtown Improvement Board are teaming up to help make downtown a little quieter. The DIB has allocated $25,000 to pay off-duty Pensacola police officers to monitor noise along Palafox Street from after-market mufflers and loud car sound systems.
“We are going to be out there to enforce the state statutes that are already on the books,” said Pensacola Mayor D. C. Reeves as he announced the project last week at City Hall. “This is something obviously the downtown business owners, property owners that they’ve had issues with for years. I appreciate them coming with a solution to try to take that on.”
The DIB says they have been getting complaints from downtown businesses about loud music from vehicles and louder mufflers for years.
Under Florida state law, operating vehicles with modified mufflers that create extra noise has been illegal for decades. Two years ago, the state adopted a so-called"Loud Music Law" that makes it illegal to play music in a car that is "plainly audible" at a distance of more than 25 feet.
The program kicked off last week on Thursday the 16th and Saturday the 18th. Friday was a Gallery Night so the noise unit was not a priority.
“There were a total of 45 citations issued,” said Mayor Reeves at his press conference at City Hall this week. “Twenty-five exhaust violations, six loud music noise violations, one citation for drifting slash stunt-driving, and there were four arrests. (There was also) one felony warrant from Escambia County, two unregistered vehicles, and then one habitual driving with a suspended license. They also gave out three warnings.”
This enforcement program is limited to noise from vehicles. For the time being, street performers and businesses are not being targeted. And since the funding is coming from the Downtown Improvement Board, the focus of this drive is the downtown and Palafox Street area. However, the mayor reminds everyone that anyone can get cited for loud pipes and speakers anywhere in the city, or the state of Florida, at any time.
