Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers have become a familiar sight around our streets, but the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is ordering local law enforcement agencies to remove them from state highway rights of way.
According to a Monday memo signed by FDOT Chief Operating Officer Will Watts, the state is revoking all temporary permits that allowed local police departments to install these tracking cameras on state roads. Departments will have 30 days to remove the cameras that are currently operational.
If not, FDOT said they will step in and pull down the tech themselves. Additionally, the agency has halted all future permits for the license plate readers on roadways.
Why are the devices being removed?
While the law allows law enforcement to use these systems, FDOT cited an increase in the number of cameras scanning our plates, with reports of misuse and data privacy concerns causing “immediate action to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.”
“What we don’t want in the state of Florida is to have a digital AI surveillance state where everything we’re doing is being tracked at all times,” Gov. Ron DeSantis said during a press conference in Jacksonville Monday. “There’s obviously times when I think it’s probably been useful, but where is this data going?”
In response to the pushback, Flock Safety said the following in a statement: “Flock’s technology is an important public safety tool for law enforcement agencies across Florida, helping officers solve serious crimes, find missing people, recover stolen vehicles, and support safer communities.”
The memo from FDOT concludes: “Further, as of the date of this memorandum, the Department will use its discretionary authority to cease the issuance of all future requests for LPR systems within its jurisdictional authority.”
