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Florida bans Flock cameras and other license plate readers from state highways

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Florida Bars Flock Cameras from State Highways to ‘Preserve Sovereignty’

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The Truth About License Plate Reader Cameras  And the Misinformation Campaign Against Them

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License Plate Readers Are Saving Lives And Solving Crimes; With Privacy Protections, They're Worth It

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Florida revokes all permits for Flock cameras on state roads

Florida Sheriff Calls Flock Camera Concerns 'Ignorance,' 'Misinformation'

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Ron DeSantis Says Flock Cameras Are 'Out of Control,' But Florida's Already Flooded With Surveillance

Florida woman spent 7 months in legal hell after cops used Flock to ID the wrong car

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1267567

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Florida FDOT bans Flock license plate readers from highways

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Florida Department of Transportation blocks Flock cameras on state roadways

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FDOT announces removal of Flock cameras amid privacy, misuse concerns

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FDOT orders removal of Flock cameras along Florida state highways

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Florida Pulls The Plug: State Orders Takedown Of Highway License Plate Readers In 30 Days

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FDOT orders Flock cameras removed from Florida highways in 30 days

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Florida halts all new license plate reader camera permits and orders existing ones removed within 30 days

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From Florida to Wisconsin, governments are turning off Flock cameras

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Florida orders removal of Flock cameras from state highways

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DeSantis bans Flock cameras on state roads in Florida

Florida's Department of Transportation (FDOT) revoked all permits for automated license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way on Monday, giving law enforcement agencies 30 days to remove the devices or have state crews take them down. 98% of these cameras are not located on state-owned land.

Florida's Department of Transportation (FDOT) revoked all permits for automated license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way on Monday, giving law enforcement agencies 30 days to remove the devices or have state crews take them down. 98% of these cameras are not located on state-owned land.

The FDOT memo cited an "exponential increase in deployments" alongside "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes" as justification for the ban. Agencies that fail to comply within the deadline face removal by state crews.

The FDOT memo cited an "exponential increase in deployments" alongside "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes" as justification for the ban. Agencies that fail to comply within the deadline face removal by state crews.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also ordered state agencies to halt funding for Flock cameras last week, citing abuse of the surveillance system, including the indictment of a Lufkin officer on 100 felony counts for allegedly searching the database without authorization.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott also ordered state agencies to halt funding for Flock cameras last week, citing abuse of the surveillance system, including the indictment of a Lufkin officer on 100 felony counts for allegedly searching the database without authorization.

Sheriff's offices in Duval, Clay and Putnam counties announced they would discontinue use of the technology. In Tampa Bay, two officers — one in Sarasota and one in Haines City — were fired and arrested for allegedly using plate reader databases to stalk romantic interests.

Sheriff's offices in Duval, Clay and Putnam counties announced they would discontinue use of the technology. In Tampa Bay, two officers — one in Sarasota and one in Haines City — were fired and arrested for allegedly using plate reader databases to stalk romantic interests.

Flock Safety, which operates around 130,000 license plate readers across the U.S., said the ban was the wrong response, arguing its technology had helped find missing children, led to the arrest of a murder suspect and assisted in solving other crimes in Florida.

Flock Safety, which operates around 130,000 license plate readers across the U.S., said the ban was the wrong response, arguing its technology had helped find missing children, led to the arrest of a murder suspect and assisted in solving other crimes in Florida.

More than 150 cities have canceled or rejected license plate reader contracts, according to anti-surveillance group DeFlock. Gov. Ron DeSantis called on state lawmakers to pass legislation on LPRs, warning Florida should not become "a digital AI surveillance state."

More than 150 cities have canceled or rejected license plate reader contracts, according to anti-surveillance group DeFlock. Gov. Ron DeSantis called on state lawmakers to pass legislation on LPRs, warning Florida should not become "a digital AI surveillance state."

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Florida's Department of Transportation (FDOT) revoked all permits for automated license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way on Monday, giving law enforcement agencies 30 days to remove the devices or have state crews take them down.

Florida's Department of Transportation (FDOT) revoked all permits for automated license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way on Monday, giving law enforcement agencies 30 days to remove the devices or have state crews take them down.

Flock Safety's mass surveillance network has no business tracking ordinary people just going about their daily lives. When a private company's cameras can reconstruct where any car has been across 120,000 locations nationwide, that's not crime-fighting — that's a digital dragnet. Florida is right to pull the plug and demand that privacy comes before corporate data collection.

Flock Safety's mass surveillance network has no business tracking ordinary people just going about their daily lives. When a private company's cameras can reconstruct where any car has been across 120,000 locations nationwide, that's not crime-fighting — that's a digital dragnet. Florida is right to pull the plug and demand that privacy comes before corporate data collection.

Ripping down Flock cameras doesn't fix the real problem — governments were already abusing the technology before Florida made any move, and banning the cameras on state highways does nothing about the surveillance already conducted on environmental advocates. The fight over Flock is spreading fast, with 144 local governments dropping contracts since early 2025, proving that no ban or political gesture can undo the damage already done to public trust.

Ripping down Flock cameras doesn't fix the real problem — governments were already abusing the technology before Florida made any move, and banning the cameras on state highways does nothing about the surveillance already conducted on environmental advocates. The fight over Flock is spreading fast, with 144 local governments dropping contracts since early 2025, proving that no ban or political gesture can undo the damage already done to public trust.

Carlos Guillermo Smith

Flock Surveillance Cameras

Gov. DeSantis bans Flock cameras from state highways

United States of America

Police

Civil liberties

Privacy

Florida's own numbers make the case: Florida wildlife agents used these cameras to track environmental critics who spoke out against the agency, and a Florida woman spent seven months clearing her name after Flock misread her plate and tied her to a theft she didn't commit. DeSantis called it "out of control" for good reason — pulling the cameras is the easy part; the state's larger surveillance habit is the real problem.

Florida's own numbers make the case: Florida wildlife agents used these cameras to track environmental critics who spoke out against the agency, and a Florida woman spent seven months clearing her name after Flock misread her plate and tied her to a theft she didn't commit. DeSantis called it "out of control" for good reason — pulling the cameras is the easy part; the state's larger surveillance habit is the real problem.

LPRs save lives and solve crimes — from AMBER Alerts to violent felonies — while recording only plates, not faces. Courts have consistently upheld their lawful use; privacy advocates are stretching an unrelated geofence ruling to challenge them. Florida has sadly fallen prey to an anti-Flock misinformation campaign that obscures the actual use of these cameras and their effectiveness in solving crime.

LPRs save lives and solve crimes — from AMBER Alerts to violent felonies — while recording only plates, not faces. Courts have consistently upheld their lawful use; privacy advocates are stretching an unrelated geofence ruling to challenge them. Florida has sadly fallen prey to an anti-Flock misinformation campaign that obscures the actual use of these cameras and their effectiveness in solving crime.

Florida Bans License Plate Readers Over Privacy Fears

Gov.Florida DeSantisBans bansLicense FlockPlate camerasReaders fromOver statePrivacy highwaysFears

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Florida Bans License Plate Readers Over Privacy Fears

Gov.Florida DeSantisBans bansLicense FlockPlate camerasReaders fromOver statePrivacy highwaysFears

The Spin

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