FDOT Orders Removal of Flock Cameras on Florida Highways

The Florida Department of Transportation is revoking permits for automated license plate readers installed by local law enforcement agencies along state highway rights-of-way, requiring the devices — including Flock cameras — to be removed within 30 days.

In an Aug. 31 memorandum, FDOT said the rapid expansion of license plate recognition systems and growing concerns about how the technology has been used prompted the agency to take action. The department cited an “exponential increase in deployments” along Florida roadways, along with “concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes.”

Under Florida law, FDOT has authority to approve or deny requests from local law enforcement agencies seeking to place license plate recognition systems within the right-of-way of roads on the State Highway System. The department said those approvals are temporary and can be revoked at its discretion.

FDOT is now revoking all existing LPR-related approvals it has issued to local law enforcement agencies for devices located within state highway rights-of-way. Agencies will have 30 days from the date of the memorandum to remove the equipment. If the devices remain after that period, FDOT said the department will remove them. Cameras posing an immediate safety concern may be removed sooner.

The department is also ending approval of future requests for license plate readers within areas under its jurisdiction. The policy does not amount to a statewide ban on Flock cameras or other license plate readers, as cameras located on local roads or other property outside FDOT-controlled rights-of-way are not directly covered by the memorandum.

The action follows growing scrutiny of automated license plate reader systems in Florida and across the country. Critics have raised questions about the collection and sharing of vehicle-location data and the potential for law enforcement personnel to misuse the technology. In the Tampa Bay region, law enforcement officers in Haines City and Sarasota have faced criminal allegations and employment consequences in separate cases involving claims that license plate reader technology was improperly used to track romantic interests.

Some Florida law enforcement agencies had already begun reconsidering their use of the technology. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco announced that his agency would move away from the cameras amid community concerns, saying, “The value of the technology does not override the importance of public trust.” The agency had previously considered switching from Flock to another vendor but ultimately decided to step away from the surveillance technology for the time being.

Gov. Ron DeSantis also signaled that state action was coming during an appearance on Eric Bolling’s podcast last week. DeSantis said the overwhelming majority of Flock cameras in Florida are operated at the local level but indicated state agencies were removing their devices and that Florida would “clear state right of ways.” DeSantis has also said he wants Florida to pursue broader protections involving artificial intelligence and surveillance through what he has described as an AI Bill of Rights.

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