On orders from Gov. Ron DeSantis, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has banned local police from using Flock camera license plate readers on state highways.
The FDOT issued a memo on Monday directing local police to remove license plate readers (LPRs), particularly the Flock kind, from state highways within 30 days, according to Florida station WTSP.
If the police fail to remove the LPRs within the 30-day timeframe, the FDOT will remove them itself. The memo also noted that the state reserves the right to immediately remove any LPR that poses “an immediate safety concern.”
FDOT chief operating officer Will Watts fiercely defended the move, arguing that the “recent exponential increase” of LPRs, in addition to “concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes,” calls for immediate action “to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.”
DeSantis, for his part, spoke about LPRs during a “Real America’s Voice” podcast appearance last Friday.
“No one’s more law and order than me, and I want to give law enforcement tools to target criminals, not to surveil innocent people in the public,” he said. “I don’t want to live in a state where we’re surveilled every time we take a breath.”
“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,” he added.
DESANTIS: FLOCK CAMERAS HAVE GONE TOO FAR
Gov. Ron DeSantis sounds the alarm on Flock cameras tracking Americans nationwide, warning law enforcement should target criminals, not innocent citizens: “Don’t let them take your data every time you breathe.” pic.twitter.com/6iUePFqsvL— CRAZY_BITCH_FROM_THA_SLAPAHOE_TRIBE (@TRUMPGIRL_STL) August 28, 2026
His podcast remarks followed what he said during an Aug. 26 news conference in which he made it clear he doesn’t want Florida to turn into a “surveillance state.”
“Go after criminals? Great, let’s do all that. But surveilling just regular Floridians’ movements and how that data is used? That’s a bird of a different feather,” he maintained. “I don’t want to be in a situation where these tech companies know everything about you and where you’re going.”
“And I know they collect a lot as it is, but I think it’s going to get a lot worse unless we have some protections for the people in Florida. The only way it could be dealt with is legislatively,” he added.
Gov. Ron Desantis about to drop the hammer on Flock cameras. Its out of control and the state has no idea what local law enforcement is doing with the data. pic.twitter.com/Kbv4Fb4cVC
— Michael J Buckley (@voyagerr2) August 31, 2026
All this comes a month after Christopher Goodson, a Florida cop in Haines City, was arrested for using local LPRs to track his estranged wife’s car.
“Goodson’s arrest affidavit said the officer made 717 inquiries on the Flock camera platform into his estranged wife’s car between September 1, 2024, and June 30, 2026,” according to station WTVT. “Goodson told his lieutenant that he was using it to keep track of his children’s location when they were with the estranged wife.”
“Goodson was arrested on one count of offenses against users of computers, computer systems, computer networks, and electronic devices and one count of official misconduct,” the report continued.
DeSantis mentioned Goodson during the Aug. 26 news briefing, saying, “When I see a police officer using it to track an ex-girlfriend, I’m like, ‘What’s going on with this?'”
Florida isn’t alone in taking action. Last week, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott ordered the state to stop funding Flock LPR cameras, according to NBC News. In addition, over 100 local governments across the country have cancelled or simply not renewed their LPR contracts.
Meanwhile, since the FDOT’s order only applies to LPRs on state roads, some local jurisdictions in Florida have already begun moving to ban the technology in their cities and counties:
🚨 JUST IN: Effective immediately the Sheriff of Jacksonville TK Waters is taking down FLOCK CAMERAS, DUVAL COUNTY-WIDE — above and BEYOND Gov. Ron DeSantis’ requirement for removing state highway rights-of-way only
*ALL* License Plate Reader tech is being discontinued in Duval.… https://t.co/4xxyOI4SKD pic.twitter.com/VkZfE7tOVi
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) August 31, 2026
In a statement published on Monday, for example, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office said it’ll be discontinuing the use of LPR technology going forward.
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V. Saxena is a staff writer with a decade of experience as a professional writer, and a lifetime of experience as an avid news junkie. He holds a degree in computer technology from Purdue University. Saxena also contributes to BizPac Review.
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