Florida’s deadline to pull automated license plate readers from state highway rights-of-way arrives next week. Agencies that have not removed the devices by Sept. 30 face having the Florida Department of Transportation take them down.
The Aug. 31 FDOT memo revoked existing permits for the cameras, including those operated by Flock Safety, and halted new approvals on roads under state control. Officials cited the rapid spread of the systems, reports of misuse, data-privacy problems, and what they called surveillance schemes. The stated goal was to “preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.”
Gov. Ron DeSantis had already described the technology as “out of control” and warned against turning Florida into a surveillance state. The order does not ban the cameras on county or city roads or on private property. Several local governments, including Pasco County, had already begun winding down contracts on their own.
Police departments have long argued the readers help locate stolen vehicles, missing people, and suspects. Some Tampa Bay agencies reported they had already taken most of their state-road cameras down. Tampa police said all 17 of theirs were gone. Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office said one remaining unit would come down Friday. Flock told local reporters it was working with agencies and expected to meet the deadline, whether by removal or relocation.
A camera still standing after Sept. 30 does not automatically mean it is recording. Responsibility for physical removal has varied by agency; some departments say the vendor must do the work.
Documented misuse, including a Haines City officer accused of using the system to track an estranged spouse, added to public pressure. Flock later shortened default data retention and added lockouts for suspicious searches. Those changes did not stop the state from reclaiming control of its own rights-of-way.
The result is a limited rollback, not a statewide ban. Local roads remain a separate question for county commissions and city councils. For now, Florida has drawn a line on the highways it owns.
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