In a social media dispatch that could have come right out of a sitcom rerun, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office shared a quick tale about a traffic stop with a twist of déjà vu. Officer Kristy Monroe pulled over a driver for having excessively tinted windows, only to realize this wasn’t the first time they had encountered each other over similar circumstances. A friendly reminder to the driver, but perhaps a symbol of a deeper recurrence in the diligence of law enforcement monitoring vehicle compliance with the standards of the Sunshine State’s tint laws.
The JSO’s post went beyond recounting Officer Monroe’s routine encounter and took the opportunity to school the public on what’s legal in Florida when it comes to window tinting: Windscreens may have a non-reflective tint above the AS-1 line—not a line of scrimmage, mind you, but just about five inches from the top—and a specific percentage that allows 28% light transmission for the front side windows and 15% for both back side and rear windows, a law that could trip up those unfamiliar, tempting them to test the limits of visibility both inside and out.
It’s clear that the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office isn’t merely documenting these traffic stops for their records, but they’re also taking the extra mile on social media to inform, clarify, and perhaps dissuade potential violators from making a tint too far. In their Facebook post they invited queries from the confused or the curious, with the assurance that their comments would demystify these car window criteria and help keep drivers squarely within the scope of the letter of the law…