MIAMI BEACH, Fla. (VINnews) — Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner says he will not back down from his fight to keep automated license plate readers on Florida roads after the state ordered the technology removed from state highway rights-of-way.
Join our WhatsApp groupSubscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
“FDOT just revoked permits for Automated License Plate Readers (LPRs) on state roads, giving us 30 days to rip out technology that’s helped our Police track fleeing suspects, get guns off our streets, and arrest violent criminals,” Meiner said Monday.
“This is a hit to public safety,” he said, adding that he plans to introduce legislation to “take back control of our roads from the State.”
The Florida Department of Transportation ordered law enforcement agencies to remove automated license plate readers from state highway rights-of-way within 30 days. The agency also said it would no longer approve new requests to install the technology in those areas.
The order affects Flock Safety cameras as well as similar automated license plate recognition systems. It does not amount to a statewide ban on the technology. Cameras located on local roads and other property are not covered by the FDOT order.
What are Flock cameras?
Flock Safety is one of the largest providers of automated license plate readers used by police departments around the country.
The cameras photograph passing vehicles and record information such as license plates, vehicle make, model and color. Police can then search the data during criminal investigations.
Unlike traditional traffic cameras, Flock cameras are designed primarily as an investigative tool. Police can use them to search for vehicles associated with stolen cars, shootings, burglaries, missing people and other crimes.
Florida law allows law enforcement agencies to install automated license plate recognition systems on state roads for criminal intelligence and investigative purposes, subject to state transportation rules. State law also requires the systems to be removed within 30 days after FDOT directs an agency to do so.
Why Florida is removing them
FDOT cited the rapid expansion of the technology, reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and what it described as surveillance concerns.
The decision follows criticism from Gov. Ron DeSantis, who has questioned how widely license plate readers are being deployed.
DeSantis said he supports giving police the tools they need to investigate crimes but does not want Florida to become a “surveillance state.”
“Go after criminals, great,” DeSantis said. “But surveilling just regular Floridians’ movements and how that data is used — that’s a bird of a different feather.”
The controversy has grown as more police departments have adopted Flock and similar systems.
Critics say the cameras can effectively create a record of where vehicles travel, raising questions about how long the information is retained, who can search it and whether agencies can obtain information collected by other jurisdictions.
There have also been documented cases of officers misusing license plate-reader systems for personal purposes, adding to concerns about oversight.
A recent investigation by WIRED found that Flock data from one Georgia police department was being shared through a nationwide network involving thousands of organizations, highlighting concerns about how broadly the information can circulate.
Police say the cameras help solve crimes
Law enforcement officials have pushed back against efforts to eliminate the technology, saying license plate readers have become an important investigative tool.
Police agencies say the cameras can quickly identify a vehicle connected to a crime and help investigators locate suspects, stolen vehicles and missing or endangered people.
In Pasco County, Sheriff Chris Nocco warned that eliminating license plate readers would make it harder for deputies to solve crimes and locate missing people, including children and victims of human trafficking.
Jacksonville’s sheriff’s office was among the Florida agencies affected by the state order and said it would remove its affected cameras.
The issue has also sparked local battles across Florida. Walton County commissioners voted last week to remove Flock license plate readers from county rights-of-way, showing that opposition to the technology is not limited to state officials.
Meiner says public safety comes first
Meiner, who has made public safety a central focus of his administration, argues that the state should not be taking away a tool local police use to investigate serious crimes.
He said the cameras have helped Miami Beach police track fleeing suspects, recover guns and make arrests.
Now, he says, he wants Miami Beach and other local governments to have greater control over their roads rather than allowing the state to dictate whether the technology can be used.
The fight puts Florida officials in the middle of a larger national debate over automated license plate readers: whether they are an essential crime-fighting tool or an increasingly powerful surveillance system that needs much stronger limits.
For now, agencies using affected cameras on state roads have 30 days to remove them.
Meiner says the fight is not over.
Imagine one day you answer the door and 2 technicians are standing there ready to install state mandated home surveillance cameras for your protection.
The headline reads like the Der Stürmer
Oh flock-off!!
Useful breakdown, thanks.
It’s a slippery slope….
says the one with immunity…
some more examples of misuse might be helpful, because otherwise, catching criminals is a good thing.
Flock cameras are good. Saves people from themselves. Freedom and democracy are actually some of the greatest failings of modern society. Democracy is in reality just a tyranny of the low IQ, mean spirited masses. I ask you: do you as an individual actually have a real say in the workings of the government? You don’t; unless you consider your three hundred millionth share a real say. And whom are the masses? A bunch of low IQ jerks. As is clearly exemplified by so many of the commenters here.
if it helps police and does nothing bad to the law abiding driver, so why remove them.