Last week we reported how ridiculous Florida’s “No Loud Music Law” is ridiculous. Now the City of Miami Beach wants to add Noise Cameras that track vehicles with excessive exhaust and/or excessively loud music.
We’re going to give you the pros and cons.
Good Things
The State of Florida has banned playing music that can be “plainly audible at a distance of 25 feet or more from the motor vehicle.” As I’ve stated before, my iPhone can play music that can be heard from a distance of 25 feet. This is ridiculous.
Now, we do have a problem with cars revving their car excessively with enhanced exhaust systems. The kind of exhaust that you can hear 20 stories up in a condo that doesn’t let you hear your own television. I think we can agree, that is too loud.
Furthermore, there are people who will blast their sound systems to the point every resident at an apartment complex will hear their windows vibrating.
So if Miami Beach adds tracking cameras that can detect and identify these perpetrators, that’s a good thing, right?
Bad Things
Hold on there for a second. Let’s start with privacy. These microphones may be able to record private conversations. Whoa. That alone sends shivers up my spine. Can you imagine having your private conversations recorded by the City of Miami Beach as you walk by a sidewalk near one of these detection microphones? WTF?
This is bad. Very very very bad to be audio recording people who are just walking along sidewalks. Where’s the right to privacy? Will the City of Miami Beach put up signs that say, “You’re walking into an area that is under audio surveillance. Your conversation may be recorded.”
Solution
We don’t have a major problem with the City of Miami Springs using sound detection equipment to capture the sounds from excessively loud cars. Note: I define excessively loud as 150 feet or 50 yards and not the state’s ridiculous 25 feet? However, we do have a problem with audio equipment that can capture private conversations from people walking down the street. If the City of Miami Beach uses this sound recording technology with some real time software that mutes and/or nullifies any human conversation, then we really don’t have a problem with it. But we shouldn’t live in a world where the government can have round the clock audio recordings of private conversations.
Local Media Coverage
Below are reports from WPLG and CBS 4 regarding the noise detection cameras on Miami Beach.
What do you think?
Share your thoughts in the comments below or via social media.
Concerning Florida’s No Loud NOISE Law, Not just Music.
ATTENTION NESTOR SUAREZ:
I volunteer at the VA hospital at Lake City, FL. The incessant racket of loud mufflers and loud obnoxious music comes off two main arteries next to this hospital and into the hospital. As you likely have not take time to give thought, patients are inundated with this noise. And this is just ONE hospital in the State of Florida with this noise problem. I support the hanging of any violator of this long-overdue loud vehicle NOISE Law.
Local sheriffs in two counties in this section of Florida have both personally told me that the law will be “strictly” enforced.
It’s too bad that you and yours are inconvenienced by this long overdue legislation. May I be reassured that you and yours will now take the time and spend the money to silence your unwelcome intrusion against other people adjacent to you.
S.S. McDonald
Coral Gables / McAlpin Florida