Florida Orders Removal of Flock Cameras from All State Roads ‘to Preserve Floridians’ Sovereignty and Quality of Life’
The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has revoked permission for the use of automated license-plate reader (LPR) systems on state highway rights-of-way. Chief Operating officer Will Watts issued a memo requiring local agencies to remove these cameras within 30 days, and all existing approvals have been canceled. FDOT will also halt issuing new permits for license-plate recognition systems on roads under its control, with the possibility of immediate removal if any cameras pose safety hazards.The order applies to devices installed by local police on the state highway system but does not affect cameras on city streets, county roads, or private property, nor FDOT Highway Patrol mobile readers used in regular policing.
The cameras, branded most notably by Flock Safety, photograph passing vehicles, record license plates, vehicle descriptions, and timestamps, and store this data in searchable databases. FDOT’s decision was driven by concerns over increased deployments, misuse, privacy issues, and surveillance schemes, emphasizing the need to protect residents’ sovereignty and quality of life. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis echoed these sentiments,stressing the importance of differentiating between legitimate law enforcement tools and wide-ranging surveillance of ordinary citizens.
Some local jurisdictions, like Pasco and lake Counties, have already voted to remove or ending contracts for these cameras. Over the past few years, at least 100 Florida agencies contracted with Flock Safety, citing benefits such as helping recover stolen vehicles and identifying suspects. Critics argue that persistent logging of driver locations raises notable privacy concerns, contrasting it with legitimate police activity.
The Florida Department of Transportation has revoked permission for automated license-plate readers on state highway right-of-ways.
Chief Operating Officer Will Watts signed the memo giving local agencies 30 days to take them down, Florida’s Voice reported.
Existing approvals “are hereby revoked,” the department said.
FDOT will also stop issuing new permits for license-plate recognition systems on roads it controls.
If a camera is still up after 30 days, the state will remove it. Units that create a safety hazard can come down immediately.
The order covers devices local police installed on the state highway system. It does not automatically pull cameras off city streets, county roads, or private property.
Florida Highway Patrol mobile readers used in ordinary policing are outside the memo as well.
Flock Safety is the brand most people mean when they talk about these poles. The cameras photograph passing cars, grab plate numbers, vehicle descriptions and time stamps, and dump the information into databases agencies can search and .
Watts wrote that an “exponential increase” in deployments, plus reports of misuse, privacy problems, and “surveillance schemes,” required action “to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life,” ABC News reported.
Gov. Ron DeSantis drew the same line last week. “Go after criminals — great, let’s all do that,” he said at Florida International University. “But surveilling just regular Floridians’ movements, and how that data’s used, that’s a bird of a different feather.”
Flock Safety did not comment to ABC News.
Local pushback was already underway. Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco said he would end a contract covering about 60 cameras on county right-of-way by Sept. 30 after commissioners pulled their support.
On Tuesday, Lake County Commissioner Anthony Sabatini posted that the board had voted to remove all Flock cameras and license-plate readers from county right-of-way and public areas.
BREAKING—We just voted to REMOVE all Flock Cameras & license plate readers from Lake County right-of-ways & public areas. Thank you to my colleagues for their support on this motion. pic.twitter.com/zAL8xD7bAL
— Anthony Sabatini (@AnthonySabatini) September 1, 2026
At least 100 Florida agencies have signed Flock contracts in recent years, according to reporting that cited Electronic Frontier Foundation records.
Police departments say the systems help find stolen cars and suspects.
Critics say a permanent log of where every driver goes is not the same thing as a patrol car running a plate.
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