Florida's De-Flocking

Florida Department of Transportation announces removal of Flock cameras on state highways

The directive to remove Flock cameras and other license plate readers comes as citizens and public officials voice concerns about how the data would be used and regulated. Proponents of the technology, however, point to their capacity to increase public safety.

The Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo Aug. 31 revoking all previously issued permits for license plate readers (LPRs) — which includes the controversial Flock cameras — by state roads, giving a 30-day deadline for all of the cameras to be removed.

Department Chief Operating Officer Will Watts penned the memo to local law enforcement agencies explaining that those with the permits for the cameras must remove the cameras within the given period and that any remaining cameras will be removed by the department. He noted that the department retains the right to immediately remove any LPR that poses an immediate safety concern.

“While Florida law limits the issuance of permits for LPR systems to law enforcement agencies, the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life,” Watts wrote.

“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 company said. “In just the last few weeks in Florida, the technology was used to find missing children, led to the arrest of a murder suspect and assisted in solving numerous other crimes.”

Capitulating to the Big Brother Scare