Florida Flocked Around And Found Out It Doesn't Want Mass Surveillance On Its State Roads After All

So much of what happens these days feels depressingly predictable, but every now and then, something truly unexpected happens. And who doesn't love a fun surprise? In this case, NBC News reports that the state of Florida has officially banned Flock cameras along state highways. I know, right? Florida. Of all places. And no, they aren't talking about some other Florida in a different country that you've never heard of. They're talking about the Ron DeSantis Florida in the United States of America. 

Since it's Florida, it would be understandable if you assumed Flock cameras were simply going to be replaced with license plate readers supplied by a different company – a tactic being used by a number of local governments lately. But again, that's not the case. Florida Department of Transportation Chief Operating Officer Will Watts issued a memo telling local law enforcement:

As such, all LPR-related LPR related [sic] approvals issued by the Department to a local law enforcement agency are hereby revoked and must be removed by the permittee within 30 days of the date of this memorandum. If such removal has not occurred within the 30-day period, the Department will remove any remaining devices subject to this memorandum. 

...

Further, as of the date of this memorandum, the Department will use its discretionary authority to cease the issuance of all future requests for LPR systems within its jurisdictional authority.

It's not just Flock cameras that are now banned. It's all license plate-reading systems. Watts also cited "the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes" that "merit immediate action to preserve Floridians' sovereignty and quality of life." Huh.

Watts issued the memo after Governor Ron DeSantis denounced automated license plate readers on a podcast. "We're gonna clear the state right-of-ways," he said on a recent episode of Real America's Voice. "These cameras that are out there now — who's to say they're only doing the license plate? Now, they say that. I think it's capturing people in their cars. I think it's capturing way more information than they're letting on. And you've seen the abuse."

There's a big caveat here, though. Removing these particular cameras doesn't mean Florida will be Flock camera-free within 30 days. The state's decision doesn't apply to LPRs on private property or local rights-of-way, which NBC News notes means 98% of Florida's Flock cameras are unaffected. Local governments may also begin taking down the cameras, but they aren't required to. Still, fewer LPRs is better than more LPRs.

After the state issued its order, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office released a statement saying, "The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will fully comply with FDOT's directive. Additionally, at my direction, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will discontinue the use of LPR technology throughout Duval County effective immediately." Duval is one of the largest counties in Florida, but will others such as Miami-Dade follow suit? That remains to be seen.