Palatka police are cracking down on loud music and car exhaust after complaints from residents

PALATKA, Fla. — Palatka police said they will crack down on people who listen to loud music while driving and those with loud car exhausts based on complaints from residents.

Michael Borton said he often hears loud cars in Palatka.

“I live two blocks from 19th, so I can be at home in my bedroom and hear ‘bdrmmm, bdrmmm’ and just want to shoot the tires,” Borton said.

It was a loud noise coming from a modified car exhaust, he said.

He also said he was listening to loud music.

Palatka police posted in a social media post that they would be conducting a wave of enforcement this summer.

It began on May 7 and will continue until the start of the school year.

Deputy Police Chief Matt Newcomb said while his officers are on patrol, they pay more attention to those two things.

If you violate the state’s loud music or loud exhaust laws, you could be fined $113 each.

Florida law states that if your music can be heard loudly from 25 feet away, you are breaking the law.

When it comes to emissions, Florida law requires vehicles to be equipped with an exhaust system that prevents excessive noise. And prohibits vehicle modifications that result in a louder vehicle noise than the vehicle originally manufactured.

The people of Palatka expressed their views on the PDP announcing its crackdown on noise control.

“(I don’t think it’s necessary) I think it’s just a way to reach more people,” Alicia Mack said.

She and her husband Michael Mack own Five Star Cleaning. You don’t live in Palatka, but you are always in the area for work.

Michael Mack said the enforcement would affect him.

“I’m one of those people who plays loud music. I like to find my rhythm. I like to dance in spirit, so I feel like I can be more respectable at night or depending on the audience,” said Michael Mack.

Borton said that while he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t want to see anyone fined.

“Just make sure they are aware that they are being watched,” Borton said.

So maybe drivers will change their behavior.

Someone asked as part of the PDP’s social media post whether the enforcement would apply to a particular group. Newcomb told News4JAX they are not targeting any racial group, or any group at all.

Just people who don’t follow the statutes.