JACKSONVILLE, FL — Police agencies across Northeast Florida are ending their use of Flock license plate readers after the state moved to block the technology. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters said Monday that the cameras had been “an enormously valuable investigative tool,” but that he would discontinue the program because of the state decision and community concerns.
Nassau and Clay counties also said they were stopping use of the cameras, while Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said his agency’s 18 cameras would be disconnected immediately and taken down within 30 days. The Florida Department of Transportation said all cameras must be removed within that window or the state will remove them itself.
State order follows growing criticism of license plate reader use in Florida
The shutdown came after the Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo Monday blocking the cameras statewide. That action came just three days after Gov. Ron DeSantis publicly criticized the spread of license plate readers, calling the systems “out of control” during an event at Florida International University in Miami.
FDOT said the rapid growth in deployments, plus reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes, required immediate action to protect Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life. The memo did not appear to bar the concept of license plate readers altogether, but it did stop the current roadway deployments and set a deadline for removal…