(LifeSiteNews) – The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) is removing controversial Flock cameras and other license plate readers from state highways, following growing concerns about the privacy implications of the technology.
Spectrum News has published an August 31 memo by FDOT Assistant Secretary and Chief Operating Officer Will Watts announcing the revocation of permits for all License Plate Recognition Systems (LPR) to local law enforcement agencies, citing “recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes.”
No new LPR permits will be issued, either, though the order does not cover cameras on private property, city or county roads, or mobile devices.
Florida Politics adds that almost 7,500 LPRs are estimated to be in use across 100 Florida law enforcement agencies, which in turn is just a slice of more than 100,000 deployed across the country.
WATCH: Gov. Ron DeSantis says the use of license plate readers is “out of control,” and addresses concerns about Flock cameras being used for criminal surveillance.@GovRonDeSantis: “I don’t want this to become a surveillance state.” pic.twitter.com/ux6Whx0Rpc
— Florida’s Voice (@FLVoiceNews) August 26, 2026
The state’s conservative Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis explained the move on Monday, saying, “I don’t want things that are sweeping up just everyday citizens, and we’re told don’t worry about it. No one’s going to use it. Then come to find out some company is harvesting that and they can make a fortune.”
“If they can create a dossier on your movements, they would be able to make a fortune in selling that to companies for advertising and for product placement and all these other things,” DeSantis added. “Have we not had enough of that over these recent years?”
While supporters argue the cameras can help crack down on everything from speeding to kidnappers to violent fugitives, critics say that the system is rife with abuse. Treasure Coast Newspapers analyzed more than five million Flock searches in Florida and found increasing instances of officers using them to track “ex-romantic partners, protesters and suspected undocumented immigrants.” It also notes that Flock does not require the reasons for a search to be reported.
“At least 19 police and sheriff’s office employees across five states were arrested, fired, put on leave or investigated after USA TODAY’s analysis flagged irregular Flock searches,” the paper found. “Most of these were related to people tracking their ex-romantic partners. In nearly every case, it was journalists — not the officers’ own agencies — who discovered the pattern. Departments acted only after being contacted.”