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Florida orders removal of license plate readers from state highways

The state transportation department revoked highway permits for automated surveillance cameras, leading several county sheriff's offices to halt the technology.

Updated Aug 31, 2026 · 23:21 UTC2 reports

The short version

  • The Florida Department of Transportation revoked all permits for local police to place automated license plate readers on state highways, ordering their removal within 30 days.
  • State officials cited growing data privacy risks, potential surveillance misuse, and rapid expansion of the camera networks.
  • Following the state mandate, law enforcement agencies in Duval, Franklin, Liberty, and Putnam counties announced they would discontinue using the technology entirely.
  • Flock Safety defended its technology as crucial for law enforcement and urged states to adopt statutory guardrails rather than total bans.

Key facts

  • Florida Department of Transportation COO Will Watts issued a memo revoking all previously granted permits for license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way, requiring removal within 30 days.[NBC News · Business Insider]
  • The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office announced an immediate halt to all license plate reader usage across Duval County in response to the state decision and community concerns.[NBC News · Business Insider]
  • Sheriff's offices in Franklin, Liberty, and Putnam counties also stated they would cease using Flock cameras.[Business Insider]
  • Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis previously voiced support for clearing state rights-of-way, alleging the cameras capture more information than reported.[NBC News]
  • More than 100 local governments nationwide have canceled or declined to renew license plate reader contracts since early last year, according to the Institute for Justice.[NBC News]
  • Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered a halt to state funding for Flock cameras, while municipal agencies in Tempe, Arizona, and Los Angeles have also ended or allowed contracts to expire.[NBC News · Business Insider]
  • Flock Safety recently reduced its default data retention period from one month to one week and implemented restrictions on users demonstrating abnormal search activity.[NBC News]

What remains uncertain

  • The extent to which Florida municipalities will continue operating Flock cameras on local rights-of-way or private properties, which DeSantis estimated account for 98% of the devices, remains unclear.[NBC News]

Sources