TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — A growing statewide backlash over vehicle surveillance has prompted Florida lawmakers to begin drafting legislative guardrails aimed at balancing law enforcement tools against constitutional privacy protections.
The policy discussions follow a series of local reversals, culminating this week in a unanimous 5-0 vote by the Tallahassee City Commission to suspend its network of roughly 150 automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, including systems operated by Flock Safety and Motorola. The city’s action joined similar moves by neighboring agencies, including Leon County Sheriff Walt McNeil, following a Florida Department of Transportation directive ordering the removal of unpermitted cameras from state highway rights-of-way.
FOX49 reached out to the Tallahassee Police Department to ask how detectives plan to adapt investigative workflows during the city’s camera suspension and what legislative safeguards the department would support. TPD did not respond to the request prior to publication…