False alarm fines could be coming to Pasco County, as officials are considering a new ordinance.
- Sheriff's office reports 13,500 false alarms
- Fines could start at $50, reach $500
- County leaders will vote on measure at next meeting
In a single year, the Pasco County Sheriff's Office said they've had more than 17,000 alarm calls. Of that, more than 13,500 were false alarms.
"We've had this issue for quite a long time with false alarm calls, and it really does tax our resources," said Major Jeff Peake.
Tired of wasting time, the Sheriff's Office has proposed a new ordinance that would punish people whose alarms habitually go off.
"There's various issues with false alarms," Peake said. "A lot of times it's not maintaining them, it's not keeping up with it.
"When there is a problem, they just ignore it. They don't fix it," he said.
Ike Isaacson, owner of Ike's Garage, said he understands that homes and businesses should be responsible.
"There should be a little responsibility on the people's part for making sure their alarms don't go off three or four times a month," said Isaacson.
But he doesn't think fining people is the answer.
"Spend a few minutes looking at their system and giving them some pointers," Isaacson advised. "Give information about their system and use that to help alleviate some of the false alarms."
If the ordinance is passed, the sheriff's office would create an annual registry for alarm systems. For the first two false alarms, you'd get a warning, but by the third you start getting fined starting at $50.
After that, it would increase by $100 to a maximum of $500.
If you simply fail to register your alarm, you'll be fined for that, and the first fine for a false alarm will start at $100.
County leaders will vote on the ordinance at the next commission meeting in August.