Opposition builds against gas leaf blower ban
Landscape companies met at City Hall and now the ban scheduled to take effect on July 1 will be up for discussion at the next City Commission meeting
Jan. 26, 2024
By Beth Kassab
Representatives from landscape companies met Thursday with Mayor Phil Anderson and City Manager Randy Knight in an effort to blunt what they say will be a financial hardship brought by a ban on gas-powered leaf blowers set to be enforced starting this summer.
A city spokeswoman said a discussion on the topic will be scheduled for the next City Commission meeting on Feb. 14.
The ban, which is aimed at reducing noise from the machines as well as emissions that are harmful to the environment, was passed in 2022, though the City Commission opted to delay enforcement until July 1 of this year to give residents and companies time to transition to electric and battery-powered equipment.
But people representing the landscaping companies said few in the industry knew about the upcoming change until recently and have not prepared.
Earlier this month, commissioners passed a $50 rebate in the form of a utility bill credit for residents who purchase electric leaf blowers.
But that does little to help the companies that serve thousands of lawns in Winter Park and use industrial level blowers that can cost $1,300.
In addition to concerns over the cost of the new equipment, landscapers have said the battery powered devices will slow down their work because they are less powerful, require charging and are heavier on workers’ backs.
“To comply with this law, more equipment on the trailer means more fuel costs to haul that equipment,” read one flyer that asks people to join in opposition to the ban. “This will result in higher costs to the homeowners and the landscaping companies purchasing and running generators to charge the blowers’ batteries.”
In Florida, Naples and Miami Beach have also approved bans. The Washington Post reported recently that cities across the country have put similar bans on gas leaf blowers into place such as Washington, D.C, and Evanston, Ill. California is set to begin enforcing a statewide ban on the sale of new gas-powered lawn equipment. Naples also enacted a ban.
Electric equipment is healthier for humans and the environment because there are fewer toxic emissions and comes without the jarring buzzsaw-like grind of a gas engine.
WinterParkVoiceEditor@gmail.com
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By: Beth Kassab
No biography available at this time
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But gas mowers, edgers, chain saws, and pole extended mini saws are fine, right?!? How about the hundreds of car details a week going on in winter park and the endless pressure washing. Gas powered still ok for those activities??
And the blowers are the least amount of time in the yard mowing process. It’s the last step. How out of touch can 5 adults be? Here’s your answer.
While we are at it – How about requiring Landscape Companies to bag their leaves rather than blowing them into the street and plugging the storm sewers. WP has a vacuum truck and a regular schedule to keep the drains open – also keeps leaves out of our lakes…
I thought it was already against city regulations to blow and LEAVE leaves in the street.
This is just one more thing somebody has to initiate.
That is costly to the big and small lawn businesses and how can you pick one and not the rest as in lawn mowers, pressure washing machines, chain saws etc.
Let’s spend our time on more worthwhile agendas.
In our small community the daily noise may be annoying but something we have had to get accustomed to. Wondering if a better focus for the City would be to focus on the sound vs source of power?
I have tried a battery operated blower vs an electric (with chord) and there is no comparison with power.
Is this an industry challenge? I sure think so. Seems the industry could solve for reducing sound and emissions.
As for the bagging debris….absolutely. Every morning I see an individual blowing sidewalk debris into the street, not just leaves by the way, and they go into the street…..every morning. This is in front of many storefronts, I believe the landlord is the Morse Foundation.
While the Ordinance is well intended, execution will definitely be a challenge, or most likely not happen.
They can blow into the street if they collect them up from there. But who is enforcing?
I am totally for the ban. The noise alone to me is the worst of it. It starts at 7:00 in the morning when you might be trying to enjoy the quiet and peacefulness of the day. They also blow sand and dust into the air and at our residence it leaves a film on all the windows. Brooms and rakes use to get the job done. I have swept up leaves many times and it doesn’t take that long.
I totally agree with the ban. Six days a week, from 7 am to 7 pm or later in the summer, the noise is awful. One yard crew uses the leaf blower for 25-30 minutes to get every leaf off the lawn and when the wind blows after they leave it’s covered again. What’s the point? Not to mention the polkutiAnd come on. Landscape companies knew about the ban, it’s been coming for 30 months. Nobody likes change but until it is forced on them.
When this issue was polled to residents, we voted against a mandate to do away with gas blowers. The city commission, however, chose in pass the ordinance anyway. At the cost of $1300, my small business yard man would find it too costly to purchase and would be forced to drop our neighborhood (he does about 10 houses on our street). Another example of government regulations running someone out of business or out of the city. Not an important issue to me. Reverse it and stop over regulating.
Here to point out that battery powered blowers are quieter and cause less damage to the operator’s hearing. This was passed two years ago. I am thrilled the ban is finally here.
The city commission is out of touch with the work performed by citizens and their lawn services. The amount of debris in our streets will be greatly increased by the elimination of gas blowers. Next fall and spring will see the need for more street sweepers and associated city employees to operate them. The electric and battery powered blowers are not up to par with the current gas standard. The new ordinance listed below even outlaws electric / battery blowers. The wording states “leaf blower that is powered by an internal combustion engine or motor, will be prohibited.” This will prohibit electric blowers, since they are run by motors.
Come on man! Is the city giving away our funds through a grant to promote electric blowers and outlawing them at the same time?
Phased elimination of certain leaf blowing or lawn clearing equipment. Regardless of anything set forth in this section to the contrary, the use of a leaf blower that is powered by an internal combustion engine or motor, will be prohibited from use on any property within the city, with the exception of the Winter Park Municipal Golf Course, 30 months following enactment of this subsection.
The exception is the city owned golf course. Come on man! Do as I say!
If you succeed in this ban , what’s next?? Start with roofers, banging all day, construction noises and their machinery they use to build all of these tear downs and rebuilds. Happening all over WP. Then ban gas powered cars and force only electric cars within city limits. Hiring a landscaper will have to go up in price, just to accommodate their expense.
We already pay more because of our WP address.
This ban is absolutely absurd! Landscape companies and certainly small “mom and pop” type landscapers should not be expected to replace all of their gas leaf blowers. The cost alone could put them out of business. They do not just buy 1 blower. They have teams of people. Not to mention the cost of the batteries and they do not last forever, so then they will need to be replaced. Charging of the batteries is a whole other obstacle. There is no comparison to the level of power of a gas vs battery leaf blower. It will take crews 3 times as long to do the same job. Put ear plugs in if you can’t stand the noise. I agree that they should be used during certain hours and not before 8am. Are we going to ban gas vehicles, lawn mowers, hedge trimmers, etc. This is ridiculous and no consideration for how this impacts landscapers that are working extremely hard and already work long hours. Do better Winter Park.
This only trades louder for longer. Less powerful machines will be out there, making a few decibels less noise, for quite a bit longer (trust me, I own both gas and electric blowers). And not a word about my gas chainsaw, hedge trimmer, and gas mower. AND, if I blow my leaves, I have to bag them within 30 minutes. So, I’ll be leaving my wet slippery leaves on the city’s sidewalk, instead of committing to a 30 minute cleanup and change of clothes. This is a truly idiotic rule, accomplishing nothing.
What research was completed to actually show the impact of gas blowers on the environment? I would like to see that data to see if it’s actually affecting Winter Park long term. The gas blowers are typically used for industrial jobs and landscaping. Which we all want and need. Bagging leaves seems like a better thing to focus on to protect the lakes. My little electric blower is just as loud btw and there are already ordinances that address the times when you can use your blowers. My landscapers are in and out in about 20 minutes and the noise is minimum. My neighbors kids make more noise than the blowers, at higher decibels and that’s for hours. This seems like an over reach by city government. Don’t we have more pressing issues to focus on Winter Park? Besides how will it be enforced? WP can’t even enforce its trash can policy consistently. I’m for the landscapers that keep Winter Park beautiful. This is a senseless law unless there is data driven research to back its existence and shows it is a significant benefit for our city and its residents.
Gas-powered leaf blowers, ubiquitous in landscaping and yard maintenance, are increasingly recognized for their detrimental environmental and health impacts. These machines emit significant levels of pollutants, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and particulate matter (PM). Studies have shown that prolonged exposure to these emissions can exacerbate respiratory conditions such as asthma and bronchitis, particularly in vulnerable populations like children and the elderly. Moreover, the noise generated by gas leaf blowers exceeds safe levels, leading to potential hearing loss and contributing to noise pollution in residential areas. According to research published in the Journal of Environmental Protection, gas leaf blowers can emit pollutants at levels comparable to those produced by vehicles, contributing to local air quality degradation and posing risks to public health.
In addition to their environmental and health impacts, gas leaf blowers also pose a threat to biodiversity. The powerful blasts of air they produce can disturb and displace wildlife, including insects, birds, and small mammals, disrupting ecosystems and potentially leading to population declines. Furthermore, the indiscriminate nature of leaf blowing can result in the dispersal of harmful pesticides and herbicides, negatively impacting beneficial insects like bees and butterflies. Studies have indicated that the noise and air turbulence generated by leaf blowers can disrupt nesting birds and cause stress in wildlife, further underscoring their adverse effects on local ecosystems. As concerns about climate change and environmental sustainability grow, the detrimental effects of gas leaf blowers highlight the urgent need for alternative, more eco-friendly landscaping practices.
Generated by ChatGPT based on prompts imputed from resident questions.
I find all of this yard & ground maintenance & the rules around them to be ridiculous. The near constant drone of lawnmowers is more annoying to me than the leaf blowers. Surely God looks down & shakes His head on the way we waste water to grow grass only to mow it down. We blow & bag leaves which is natures “mulch”. Bushes & shrubs get sculptured to be round or squared off which aren’t the natural ways they grow. What a waste of time, money and resources! But in Winter Park, as well as other places in our country we “have to have” manicured lawns to go with our manicured nails, manicured hairstyles & clothing and spotless detailing of our gas guzzling and energy wasting cars. For some reason we try to look perfect so everyone thinks we are perfect when in fact we are imperfect.
I support the ban and have used a quieter, battery powered, blower for nearly 10 years. IMHO, nothing is as irritating as a high pitched gas powered leaf blower. Do the research. Studies have shown they emit sound frequencies that penetrate walls more than other gas powered motors. Check out what the CDC says about their effect on hearing. Used throughout a neighborhood on different days at different times, week after week, leads to a recurring annoyance. Chainsaws are not used weekly. Trimmers are not used continuously at full power. A decade or two ago our neighborhoods were quieter without them and our lawns/driveways were just as clean. Why do landscapers like gas powered leaf blowers? It makes THEIR job easier, at our expense.
How can a leaf blower more than 2 houses away from you bother you? I hear jets going to MCO, I hear leaf blowers a couple doors away, I hear sirens all day long. Background noise in an urban setting. This city commission is more suited to be a Grievance Committee for an HOA.
The ban is a bad idea and not well thought out. Have they actually performed a full environmental impact assessment including the production of batteries, disposal of batteries, and the production of new leaf blowers? And all the other good points brought up here regarding decreased effectiveness of the electric blowers and minimal noise difference? City commissioners who voted for this ban are out of touch. The ban should be repealed before going into effect. Is there a petition?
A Stihl gas powered blower (most landscape contractors in WP use) costs approximately $500. A Stihl battery powered blower costs $2000.00 (including 1 battery and 1 charging station). The landscape companies would need multiple batteries per blower to make it through the day before having to re charge at night. One battery cost $1300. One blower, plus 2 batteries, and a charging station $3300! Who is going to pay for the increased cost? There is currently no $ being offered to the landscape contractors in Winter Park to help offset this cost.
Charging is going to be an issue for most contractors. Most of the space they rent is not capable of charging the number of batteries that will be required each day. They will have to rent larger units once again raising costs.
The energy used to charge the batteries in Winter Park will be coming from a fossil fueled power plant. Not to mention the mining that occurred to create the batteries in the first place or the fact that there is currently no where to recycle them.
Theft is another issue to consider. When someone steals batteries at $1300 per battery how are the companies going to be able to afford to replace them. Yes most companies have insurance but their costs will rise with more expensive claims as well as having to insure more expensive equipment.
The battery powered blowers are not as capable as the gas powered blowers in regards to power output. Landscape companies will be at their customers houses longer therefore requiring them to once again raise costs.
I think a lot of the people complaining simply don’t want to pay more for the service.
Consider a sleeping resident shocked awake at 7 A M by a nearby team of leaf blowers. Then blasts of leaves and dirt from a Valencia College parking lot forcefully pass through some buffer plants to settle in my back yard. 😒