The Village of Floral Park is proposing to limit the use of gas-powered leaf blowers by commercial landscapers and gardeners.
Mayor Dominick Longobardi said that the village is weighing its options on a proposed amendment to the village code after a public hearing Tuesday.
He said he could not confirm if there will be any new changes after the hearing, saying, “I won’t say that definitely.”
The proposed amendment would require that gas-powered leaf blowers may be used no earlier than 8 a.m. or later than 6 p.m. on weekdays, and no earlier than 8 a.m. or later than 3 p.m. on Saturdays.
This would apply only to commercial landscapers and not residents, Longobardi said.
He said that a major change with this law is that the use of gas-powered leaf blowers would be prohibited at all times on Sunday and on federal and state holidays.
He said that the village is not considering a complete ban on the commercial use of leaf blowers saying, “It’s not fair to the industry and the businesses.”
Longobardi said that the board will consider looking into the problem of the decibel levels hitting very high levels as a consequence of the time restraints in the village. Longobardi said these concerns were raised by Floral Park resident Richard Pfieffer.
He said that the amendment will be voted on by the board at a future meeting.
According to a village newsletter, the village board received complaints from residents that the use of gas-powered blowers by commercial landscapers and gardeners is unreasonably noisy and interferes with their quality of life on a daily basis.
