LAKE COUNTY, Fla. – Jennifer Newmons loves her home in Yalaha for the tranquility. Her backyard has a view of a nearby lake where she can sit and enjoy nature, but in recent weeks she’s been hearing loud noises in the distance.
“I thought it was gunshots,” said Newmons. “It started sometime at the beginning of March and has been going on every day.”
Newmons reached out to News 6 after she called the Lake County Sheriff’s Office and found out the actual noise is coming from a nearby blueberry farm that uses the noise from propane cannons to scare away birds.
It’s a common tactic farmers use to protect crops from pests. A variety of models are sold online that produce loud booms that are automated to go off throughout the day.
The use of so-called “bird cannons” is not banned in Florida, but they are subject to local ordinances.
Our News 6 team reached out to Lake County for more perspective and was told the noise produced at a farm is exempt from the county’s noise ordinance.
Sec. 14-37. - Exemptions
(9) Sounds produced by normal agricultural activities located in appropriate zoning districts.
A spokesperson for the county said that they also follow Florida’s Right to Farm Act, which generally protects governments from nuisance restrictions. It was passed by the legislature, which acknowledged how agricultural production is a major contributor to Florida’s economy.
FSS 823.14 Florida Right to Farm Act states:
- “Farm” means the land, buildings, support facilities, machinery, and other appurtenances used in the production of farm or aquaculture products.
- “Farm operation” means all conditions or activities by the owner, lessee, agent, independent contractor, or supplier which occur on a farm in connection with the production of farm, honeybee, or apiculture products or in connection with complementary agritourism activities. These conditions and activities include, but are not limited to, the marketing of farm products at roadside stands or farm markets; the operation of machinery and irrigation pumps; the generation of noise, odors, dust, fumes, and particle emissions; ground or aerial seeding and spraying; the placement and operation of an apiary; the application of chemical fertilizers, conditioners, insecticides, pesticides, and herbicides; agritourism activities; and the employment and use of labor.
