Orlando Daytona Beach Melbourne, FL, August 31, 2026 — Several Florida county sheriffs’ offices have announced they are discontinuing the use of Flock license plate readers. The decision impacts sheriffs in Liberty, Clay, Duval, and Putnam counties, among others.

This shift in technology adoption comes in response to a directive from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis concerning the removal of these cameras from state rights-of-way. The governor’s office has raised concerns regarding potential privacy issues and the risk of data misuse associated with the license plate reader technology.

Sheriffs in the affected counties have cited these privacy and data misuse concerns as the primary reasons for ending their respective contracts with Flock Safety, the company providing the readers. The specific timeline for the discontinuation of services and the removal of all equipment has not been fully detailed for every county, but the process is underway.

Flock Safety’s license plate readers capture images of license plates and store them, along with vehicle location data, which law enforcement agencies can use for investigations. While proponents argue the technology aids in solving crimes and locating stolen vehicles, privacy advocates and some officials have expressed unease about the extensive data collection and retention capabilities.

The directive from Governor DeSantis signals a state-level reevaluation of the widespread deployment of such surveillance technology. It is unclear at this time if other counties not explicitly mentioned will follow suit or if further state-level actions will be taken regarding private surveillance technology used by law enforcement.


Story summarized from the original created by Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix on www.orlandoweekly.com, see more information here.

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