Erin Hill
Gadsden County News Service
Florida’s order to remove automated license plate readers from state highway rights of way could affect cameras operated throughout Gadsden County, although publicly available mapping does not currently identify a Flock Safety camera within the Town of Havana.
The Florida Department of Transportation issued a memorandum Aug. 31 revoking permits for automated license plate recognition systems installed within rights of way on the State Highway System. Law enforcement agencies have 30 days to remove affected cameras.
The department also said it will no longer issue permits for automated license plate readers within state highway rights of way.
A publicly available camera map updated in late August does not identify any locations specifically as Flock Safety cameras within Havana’s municipal boundaries.
That does not necessarily mean there are no Flock cameras operating in or around Havana.
The Gadsden County Sheriff’s Office has been associated with a countywide deployment of the technology, and publicly compiled camera maps are not official inventories of law enforcement equipment.
The Gadsden County Board of County Commissioners approved an agreement in March 2024 associated with the Sheriff’s Office for 25 Flock Safety devices for use throughout the county.
The agreement included 20 fixed Falcon license plate readers and five portable Falcon Flex cameras. The initial two-year agreement totaled $162,000 and provided for a 30-day data retention period.
Flock cameras have been publicly mapped elsewhere in Gadsden County. Four are mapped around Quincy, including cameras along the U.S. 90 corridor and Pat Thomas Parkway. Two more are mapped along the U.S. 90 corridor in Chattahoochee.
It is not yet clear how many Gadsden County cameras will be affected by the state’s decision.
The state’s action comes as Gov. Ron DeSantis has raised concerns about privacy and the potential for networks of license plate readers to be used for widespread surveillance.
“I’m all about having law enforcement have tools to be able to hold criminals accountable,” DeSantis said. “But I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state.”
Automated license plate readers photograph passing vehicles and convert license plate numbers into searchable data. Law enforcement agencies use the technology to help locate stolen vehicles, identify vehicles potentially connected to crimes and find wanted or missing people.
The state’s decision does not constitute a statewide ban on Flock cameras or other automated license plate readers.
Instead, it applies to cameras installed within state highway rights of way under the Department of Transportation’s jurisdiction. Cameras may continue operating on local roads and other property if their use complies with state law.
The order applies to automated license plate readers generally and is not limited to Flock Safety equipment.
For the Havana area, questions remain about whether any of the Sheriff’s Office’s Flock cameras are positioned in or near the town and whether any are located within state highway rights of way affected by the state’s order.
Because the county’s agreement includes portable cameras and public camera maps may not show every device, Sheriff’s Office records would be needed to provide a definitive accounting of where the county’s Flock cameras are operating.
