Florida orders Flock license-plate cameras off state highways

techSep 1, 2026231,237

Florida’s Department of Transportation revoked all previously issued approvals for automatic license plate readers in state rights-of-way in a one-page memo sent Monday by FDOT chief operating officer Will Watts. Watts cited a “recent exponential increase” in deployments and “concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes” and said the removals are needed “to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.” The move fulfilled a vow from Governor Ron DeSantis, who last week called for clearing state right-of-ways and questioned whether the cameras capture more than license plates. The order does not affect cameras on private property or local rights-of-way, but some localities are following suit; the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it will discontinue license plate reader technology in Duval County effective immediately. FDOT also said it no longer intends to issue permits for the cameras, and Flock Safety responded that its technology helps solve serious crimes and find missing people. The action comes amid broader pushback: Texas halted state funding for Flock cameras and more than 100 local governments have canceled or not renewed LPR contracts, according to the Institute for Justice.

5thQuarterSports

@5thquartersports.com

BREAKING: After intense backlash the NFL has announced they're removing Flock cameras from stadium restrooms.

59445d ago

Carla from Canada 86-47 👊🇨🇦🔥- 💙🩵 - 🏈🐯35

It’s so ridiculous that I can’t even tell if it’s satire or not! How bad is that ! Nothing would surprise me

iabacon.bsky.social34

The New England Patriots said they will maintain some in their opponent’s locker room.

John13

This may be fakery. It may be fuckery. But nothing, NOTHING, the rent seeking, monopolistic abomination that is the NFL would do could shock or surprise me. A blood sport for millionaires. Gladiator games to keep the masses happy. But it still beats going to church on Sunday.

jon-connor.bsky.social12

Officials say this may negatively impact the prediction market deal signed earlier this month, designed to bet on fans bathroom activity

Rey Wil10

NFL still demands all ticket holders will have to pay a subscription price to use the restrooms at all stadiums

ThiSIsnOtNOrMAl 🌮9

Guess I manscaped for no reason 😔

Danielle ❌👑

@danielleloveswords.bsky.social

James Talarico is right: The constant, warrantless surveillance that flock cameras enable has no place in a free society.

25745d ago

JRS2

I read that the Republicans in Texas are voting now to get rid of 30 voting precincts so that they can make sure that Ken Paxton wins .Polls show Paxton 47% , Talarico 46% they don’t want a moral candidate they want cheating crooked candidate.

Sharon C Storm1

“Big Brother Is Watching”. From 1984 by George Orwell. It’s more scary now than when I first read it in high school. It’s much closer to the realities of today than in 1958.

Quoting this

Jan_Morgan31

I was surprised to learn that with connected surveillance cameras, Europe has stronger paper protections than the US, but they also have enforcement gaps, meaning the same “pilot program → normalization” pattern could still happen there. #pinks

Electronic Frontier Foundation

@eff.org

There is growing national momentum against ALPR mass surveillance. In the past year, dozens of cities have ended their contracts with Flock and other vendors. In the past week, Florida has ordered the removal of ALPRs from some roads, and Texas has ended its funding of city ALPRs. (1/2)

18446d ago

Electronic Frontier Foundation75

EFF will continue to work with community groups to keep ALPRs off their streets, and urge judges and state legislators to impose enforceable restraints on this mass surveillance. (2/2)

Gordon Hundley2

FDOT runs its own sensor array fleet and doesn't want competition.

Hypervisible

@hypervisible.blacksky.app

“According to the prosecutor’s office, Thompson was still employed as a sheriff’s deputy when he conducted 2,055 searches of the same license plate using the Flock camera system. The searches occurred between Dec. 31, 2025, and Aug. 2, 2026”

3145d ago

Jacob Pleasants3

Apparently this was uncovered via a "routine audit." The fact that those searches occurred over a 7-month period tells us something about how often those audits are done. I would be interested to know more about that.

Flat Pluto Society2

Quick back-of-the-envelope math here, but that's basically checking this license plate about every half hour during every work day for seven months. How is there no system in place to flag unusual behavior like that?

¯\_(ツ)_/¯1

grown up Bobby Hill is innocent!

WIRED

@wired.com

In May this year, public concern over Flock surveillance had grown enough that a bipartisan amendment was put forward to immediately end state and local ALPR programs. It was eventually killed, partly due to Flock’s expanding lobbying operations. www.wired.com/story/a-bipa...

2545d ago

Indivisible ATL

@indivisibleatl.bsky.social

Oversight isn’t enough. The surveillance state hurts all of us, especially marginalized communities. And we KNOW ICE is using relationships with local law enforcement agencies to abuse ALPR for unconscionable enforcement. (Did you know ICE arrested 50k+ people in July?)

2045d ago

Chris Ingraham

@cingraham.bsky.social

As of this morning, IJ's ALPR abuse database contains: 55 stalking cases 81 other instances of individual misconduct 31 wrongful stops of innocent people 21 cases of miscellaneous misuse The overwhelming majority involve Flock, the leading ALPR provider ij.org/the-ij-datab...

2445d ago

South Florida Sun Sentinel

@sun-sentinel.com

Gov. Ron DeSantis has blocked the use of license plate readers use on state roads, warning they could create a “surveillance state.” But in the past year, DeSantis has approved $4.6 million in requests for the cameras from local law enforcement agencies to conduct immigration enforcement efforts.

1245d ago

Quoting this

SFDB9

"The governor’s office did not respond to a request for comment for this story." None of this makes sense. Gotta feeling we're going to find out that something is going on behind the scenes.

DeFlock Redmond

@deflock-redmond.bsky.social

A second #ALPR abuser story today. This one is from #Louisville, KY! "According to the probable cause affidavit, between Dec. 31, 2025, and Aug. 2, 2026, Thompson allegedly searched the same license plate 2,055 times." NoALPRs.com 🚫 #deflock #surveillance

1045d ago

Marialana Kinter

@marialanakinter.bsky.social

The police will set up fake flock cameras and 24/7 surveillance teams to catch people who don't want their 4th amendment violated But law enforcement won't do anything about the actual pedophiles in office

1145d ago

Molly Coleman

@mollycoleman.bsky.social

Who decides when Flock cameras and other surveillance systems become so ubiquitous that they violate the 4th Amendment? The people! Of course judges are weighing in on this question, but so is the public—in huge numbers! And policymakers, in many places, are agreeing with the public on this.

845d ago

Loather

@loather.bsky.social

A fourteen year old girl was raped and impregnated by her father, forced to give birth by the side of the road and abandon the newborn and the authorities are searching for them…to charge her with murder whilst singing the praises of Flock cameras. www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco...

845d ago

gscl.bsky.social

@gscl.bsky.social

It's creepy how University of MN PD can just add another Flock camera facing the access to the hospitals within the last few days with no public oversight.