A single-page memo revoked permits for every license plate reader on Florida's state roads. It was signed by Will Watts, the state transportation department's chief operating officer, dated August 31, and it gives law enforcement agencies 30 days to remove the devices from state roadways.
In the memo, Watts wrote that while Florida law had already limited license plate reader (LPR) system permits to law enforcement agencies, "the exponential growth in deployment in recent times, coupled with reports of misuse, data privacy, and surveillance concerns, is enough to warrant immediate action to protect the autonomy and quality of life of Floridians." The department also said it would use its discretion to stop approving any future LPR system applications.
The driving force behind the ban is Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who said in an August 2026 interview that use of the technology in the state had "spiraled out of control." Still, DeSantis himself admitted on a podcast that changing transportation department rules only goes so far — 98% of automated license plate readers statewide are actually installed on local roads and private property, places the state road ban can't touch. Sheriff's offices in Jacksonville and Okaloosa County have each pledged to remove the devices from their jurisdictions.
The company caught in the crosshairs is Flock Safety, which faced the most concentrated backlash of 2026. On its website, the company lists plenty of non-law-enforcement use cases, like letting firefighters get a read on a fire scene through the cameras before they even arrive. But the criticism has consistently centered on the feeling of being under constant surveillance, plus documented cases of camera misuse. Flock has responded with software updates and policy changes, including limits on how long footage is stored, but public protests and acts of vandalism against the readers haven't let up.
Similar pullbacks aren't limited to Florida. The Los Angeles Police Department suspended its contract with Flock in July; in August, two counties in Ohio suspended use of Flock cameras following misuse reports; and Texas Governor Greg Abbott froze funding for state agencies to purchase Flock hardware outright. Most of these moves target Flock the company rather than license plate reader technology itself, but taken together, they show local and state regulators are starting to rethink how public safety should actually work.
Worth noting: license plate readers aren't new technology. They've been used for decades to track down stolen vehicles, locate missing people, and even chase leads in criminal cases. Just over a week before Florida's ban was announced, police used one of these cameras to track down a murder suspect who'd fled Florida, all the way to West Virginia — exactly the kind of case supporters point to when making the argument for their law enforcement value.
