St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway will appear before the city council’s Public Services and Infrastructure Committee on Thursday to explain how his department uses Flock license plate cameras.

City council vice chairman Richie Floyd requested the briefing. Floyd said he was not on the council in 2024, when the cameras were approved as part of the consent agenda, a block of items typically passed together without separate discussion. He said he is skeptical of the technology.

The scrutiny follows a tightening of internal rules. Last month, the St. Petersburg Police Department issued a memo restricting who can access Flock data. Use of the cameras is now limited to the Investigative Services Bureau, traffic division personnel, and sworn supervisors within the Uniform Services Bureau.

Mayor Charlie Crist, newly elected, previously said he would impose a moratorium on Flock use until Holloway briefed him on the program.

St. Petersburg is not alone in its second look. Pinellas County commissioners recently delayed a decision on the cameras and pushed the matter to their next legislative session in March, saying they still had questions. Last month, Pasco County ended its Flock contract, citing a lack of support from county commissioners. Gov. Ron DeSantis also ended permits for Flock cameras on state roads, a change that took effect in early October.

The committee meeting will give residents a first public look at how the department says it uses the cameras, who can see the data they collect, and what safeguards exist. The reporting available so far does not say what the program has cost taxpayers or what results it has produced for investigators.

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