Manatee County commissioners voted unanimously this week to block Flock license plate reader cameras from county facilities, parks and buildings, siding with residents who argued the technology amounts to government overreach into everyday life.

The 5-0 vote came after commissioners heard from constituents who said they never agreed to have their movements tracked simply for driving through a county park or visiting a public building.

Commissioner Bob McCann was blunt about his distaste for the cameras. “I would like to get rid of the Flock cameras. Hey, I got rid of the school cameras,” McCann said. Commissioner Jason Bearden was equally direct. “I’m going to be honest, I want these dang things gone,” Bearden said.

The motion, introduced by Commissioner Amanda Ballard, bars approval of license plate readers on county property and requires any future proposal for the technology to come before the full commission for a vote — stripping away the ability of outside agencies to install the cameras without elected oversight.

One resident’s written comments captured the underlying concern driving the pushback: that the technology treats every driver like a suspect and normalizes constant government monitoring of law-abiding citizens. The county attorney confirmed commissioners’ authority is limited to unincorporated Manatee County, meaning the ban does not extend countywide.

Not every commissioner was ready to write off the technology entirely. Commissioner Mike Rahn, who said he remains personally skeptical of the cameras, told colleagues he visited the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office real-time data center to see how the system works and encouraged other commissioners to do the same before forming an opinion. Rahn noted that law enforcement faces public criticism whenever a crime goes unsolved, and that Flock cameras are one of the tools deputies use to make arrests.

The Manatee County Sheriff’s Office told reporters it does not currently have license plate readers installed at county parks or facilities, meaning the vote functions preemptively — closing the door before the technology arrives rather than removing cameras already in place. Countywide, the sheriff’s office has deployed 79 Flock cameras and 134 license plate readers overall, which officials credit with helping arrest or recover 191 individuals since 2024, including missing children and vulnerable seniors.

Tuesday’s vote reflects a broader trend playing out in county and city governments across the country, from Texas to Michigan, where elected officials are increasingly pumping the brakes on surveillance technology even as sheriffs and police departments defend its crime-fighting record. For Manatee County, the message from its commission was clear: expanding government’s ability to watch its own citizens requires a vote, not a rubber stamp.

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