The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has issued an order prohibiting the use of Flock cameras to spy on Floridians along state roads, with multiple counties swiftly joining the effort. In a memorandum released Monday, FDOT revoked general-use permits for automated license plate readers after citing “concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes” that threaten Floridians’ sovereignty.
The memo clarifies that approvals for Flock cameras on state rights-of-way are temporary, requiring local agencies to remove installations within 30 days. Failure to comply will prompt FDOT intervention. Miami-Dade County—the state’s largest jurisdiction with nearly three million residents—has eliminated all Flock cameras from FDOT infrastructure and suspended its license plate reader program. Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz stated in a public announcement that “public safety and constitutional rights are not competing values.”
Other counties, including Walton, Franklin, Liberty, Okaloosa, and Calhoun, have also ordered the removal of Flock cameras from county roads, signaling broad regional alignment with the state’s decision. Governor Ron DeSantis, who will term out in January after two terms, emphasized his opposition to a surveillance state: “I’m all about having law enforcement have tools to hold criminals accountable,” he said, “but I don’t want this to become a surveillance state.”
Flock Safety, founded in 2017, operates as the purported “largest public-private” surveillance network with technology including gunshot detection and AI capable of identifying vehicles down to their bumper stickers. The company has developed drone companions (Flock Alpha) that travel up to 60 miles per hour and cover extensive territories using thermal night vision. Recent investigations reveal Flock Safety receives substantial funding from Palantir’s Founders Fund and Andreessen Horowitz, venture capital firms with deep ties to intelligence operations and technology development.
Despite Florida’s actions, nationwide deployment of Flock cameras continues. The website DeFlock reports over 137,000 such systems actively surveilling Americans across the United States.