Florida is banning Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers across state highways, according to reporting by TechCrunch. In a memo issued on Monday, Florida’s Department of Transportation announced that it is revoking permits for all automated license plate readers and ordering their removal from state highways within 30 days.
The state agency issued the removal order in response to what it termed a "recent exponential increase in deployments" across the highway network. Department officials stated that this rapid expansion was "coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes." In addition to revoking existing permits, the Department of Transportation is halting all future applications to place license plate readers along state-managed roadways.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis addressed scrutiny over the surveillance technology about a week prior to the department's memo. DeSantis acknowledged public concerns surrounding Flock cameras and automated readers, stating that the systems are "out of control."
Other regional authorities have enacted similar restrictions on Flock hardware in recent weeks. Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze state funding for Flock cameras last month amid growing backlash. Municipal officials in Pflugerville, Texas, terminated their Flock contract after a public records request revealed outside agencies searched the city's license plate records 1.6 million times. Local governments in Lansing, Michigan; Tempe, Arizona; and Knox County, Tennessee, have also ended their camera contracts with Flock.
