Florida orders Flock cameras removed from state highways
Florida's Department of Transportation has revoked permits for automated license plate readers, ordering their removal from state highways within 30 days. The move follows growing concerns over surveillance misuse and data privacy.
Florida's Department of Transportation issued a memo on Monday revoking all permits for automated license plate readers, including Flock cameras, installed along state highways. The order was first reported by NBC News and local outlet WUSF.
According to the memo, the agency is acting in response to a "recent exponential increase in deployments" of these devices, combined with troubling reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes. Operators now have 30 days to remove the equipment, and the department will no longer accept new requests to place license plate readers on state roadways.
Part of a wider trend
The decision comes about a week after Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said he had concerns about Flock cameras and license plate readers, describing them as "out of control." Last month, Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze state spending on Flock cameras amid growing public backlash against the technology.
Several local communities, including Lansing, Michigan; Tempe, Arizona; and Knox County, Tennessee, have already ended their contracts with Flock camera providers. The developments point to mounting political and public pushback against automated license plate surveillance across the United States.
