SWFL drivers could face a fine for playing loud music

Drivers in Southwest Florida will soon be fined for playing music too loud in the car beginning on July 1.

The new law makes it illegal to play music loud enough to be heard from farther than 25 feet away.

How will police enforce this law? It’s all in the ears. There’s no exact meter or tool police officers or sheriff’s deputies will use. If they can hear the music from just 25 feet away, that’s all they need to issue a driver or warning or ticket.

Fort Myers police say the law is good because when the music’s too loud it can slow down first responders.

“You’re going to see a fire truck and ambulance or everything, any type of distraction like that, yes, can hinder, you know, life-saving measures? And it does,” said Fort Myers Police Public Information Officer Kristen Capuzzi.

Glen Griffith, the manager of Auto Sound in Cape Coral, helps make things loud for a living. He doesn’t think the law will change much as most of his customers don’t supe up the sound anymore.

“It has just kind of moved on from the base competitions and all that. And it just now it’s, you know, they want to actually hear the lyrics, you know, instead of just having, you know, a bass cannon in their vehicle,” said Griffith. “Some of those systems can get very, very loud. And, you know, somebody may not hear, you know, emergency vehicle.”

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