Billboards warn against loud car speakers

ST. PETERSBURG - Owners of loud car stereo systems can now get the message from some billboards, or they can wait for a letter from the police.  Both forms of communication tell offenders there are state laws governing the volume of car stereos. 

Activist Judy Ellis says a radio group donated five billboards to carry a message targeting drivers.  "This is another of saying you can't be doing this," she explains, "it's not only not nice, it's against the law."

Ellis also says that law might get a lot tougher. There is draft legislation in both houses of the Florida legislature that would make excessive noise a moving violation.

"We want two points on the license," Ellis said.

In the meantime, a pilot program that invites residents to send in the license tag numbers of offenders is working out better than expected -- the complaints are coming in at about three times the expected rate.  The police department sends a letter to the car owners saying there has been a complaint, and there is a potential violation of law. 

The tips can be anonymous, but the city has received e-mails from residents saying they sent in a card, and the local noise maker then quieted down.