Governor Ron DeSantis (D-FL) has ordered all Flock cameras to be pulled from state highways in 30 days.
During a recent press conference, DeSantis said the surveillance network posed by license plate readers is “out of control,” and noted that “people are right to be concerned.”
Will Watts, the chief operating officer of the Florida Department of Transportation, informed law enforcement agencies that approvals for license plate readers in state “rights-of-way” were to be revoked.
“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,” the memo says.
Similarly, the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office in Florida issued a statement on the “process of ending our contract with Flock Safety and discontinuing our use of the Flock camera system in Liberty County.”
“This decision comes in light of the continuing constitutional and privacy concerns surrounding automated license plate reader systems, as well as Governor Ron DeSantis’ decision on Friday to remove Flock cameras from state rights-of-way,” the sheriff said. Although he noted that the cameras have been a “valuable law enforcement tool,” the technology is “advancing faster than many of the laws governing its use.”
“When government has the ability to collect, retain, access, and potentially share information about the movements of law-abiding citizens, I believe there must be clearly defined constitutional and statutory safeguards governing that authority,” the sheriff added. “Until the courts, including ultimately the United States Supreme Court if necessary, provide clearer guidance regarding the constitutional limits of this technology, and until the State of Florida establishes stronger statutory safeguards protecting citizens’ privacy and governing how this data can be collected, retained, accessed, and shared, I believe discontinuing our use of the system is the appropriate course of action.”
Florida’s action follows one taken by Texas, as Governor Greg Abbott pulled state funding for Flock camera systems.
