State orders Flock cameras and other license plate readers taken down from Florida roads

On August 31, 2026, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) issued a comprehensive directive mandating that local law enforcement agencies dismantle all automated license plate readers (ALPRs)—including the widely used Flock Safety cameras—from state highway rights-of-way within a 30-day period.

State officials cited the need to "preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life" as the rationale for the ban, which was prompted by a significant rise in data tracking, concerns regarding data privacy, and notable cases of database misuse by law enforcement officers.

Law enforcement agencies are required to remove the devices by September 30, 2026. Should they fail to do so, FDOT will take responsibility for the removal of the cameras and has suspended all future LPR permitting on state roads.

 Governor Ron DeSantis expressed his support for this initiative, publicly declaring that the technology had become "out of control" and cautioning against Florida evolving into a "surveillance state". 

This order is limited to the State Highway System, which includes interstates, state-maintained highways, and major corridors. Local city streets, county roads, and private properties (such as HOA neighborhoods) are not subject to the state memo, resulting in a fragmented landscape of active surveillance.

 

The state's decisive action comes in response to a series of concerning privacy scandals throughout Florida, where police officers reportedly misused the surveillance network for personal tracking.

In Haines City, an officer was apprehended for utilizing Flock data to monitor his estranged wife's vehicle over 700 times within a two-year period. Similarly, in Sumter County, a detective was dismissed and faced criminal charges for employing license plate databases to collect information on her husband's ex-wife.

While privacy advocates have welcomed the discontinuation, leaders in local law enforcement have expressed significant frustration, emphasizing that the AI-driven camera networks have proven to be highly effective in solving violent crimes, recovering stolen vehicles, and tracking Amber Alerts.

In spite of these justifications, several agencies—including sheriff's offices in Alachua and Okaloosa counties—have already ceased operations or opted to dismantle their county-level programs entirely in light of the state's stance.