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The right to blast your crappy music through your car stereo at top volume while driving down the road with minimal repercussions is a right that many Miamians hold dear and regularly exercise. But recently some politicians in Tallahassee wanted to strip us of this basic freedom. Thankfully, the Florida Senate today voted down a bill that would have increased fines for loud music on the roadways.
True, there already is a state law that provides for minor penalties for drivers blasting their music, but it doesn’t have much teeth. Those fined just have to pay a $30 fee if their stereo can be heard clearly from more than 25 feet away.
The new bill would have increased fines for multiple violations: $120 for the second, and $180 for the third if it is within a 12-month period. It also would have reclassified the offense as a moving violation, meaning that blasting music could mean the courts blasting points on your driver’s license. Three points for every violations besides the first to be exact.
Brave Miami Gardens State Sen. Oscar Braynon II, a Democrat, helped lead the opposition. Saying that the bill appeared to be targeted at a “certain population,” he feared that the bill would lead to racial profiling. Traffic cops in Southern states selectively enforcing minor traffic violations on people based on their race? Well obviously that has never happened.
Braynon was successful, and the bill went down in defeat 20-16, so blast that music as loud as you want — assuming you don’t mind paying $30.
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