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On Monday, Aug. 31, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) ordered that all automatic license plate reader (ALPR) cameras, including Flock cameras, be removed from state highway rights-of-way within 30 days — by Wednesday, Sept. 30, 2026.
“The recent exponential increase in deployment along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridian’s sovereignty and quality of life,” wrote FDOT officials in a memo shared with local law enforcement agencies.
The memo revoked all current permits for these devices and stated that it will deny all future requests for LPR (license plate reader) systems under its jurisdiction.
Devices that are not removed by the Sept. 30 deadline will be removed by FDOT.
Both the Lakeland Police Department (LPD) and the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) operate ALPR cameras through Flock, some on state highways and others on city streets.
For more on Flock in Lakeland:
As of Sept. 1, LPD had not started the removal process, according to department spokesperson Robin Tillett. LPD has yet to provide further comment at the time of publication.
According to Sheriff Grady Judd, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PSCO) had already begun removal of affected cameras by Tuesday, Sept. 1. He said the department anticipates removal within the 30-day period. PCSO did not share the number of affected cameras.
PCSO will continue to operate LPRs on non-state roads
In a video released to address the order, Judd called ALPR cameras provided by Flock “the single best tool to keep people safe” and find runaways and other missing people. “Contrary to all of the rhetoric, it does not invade personal private space,” Judd said, comparing the cameras to databases accessed by law enforcement officers to run license plate numbers.
In the video, he called Flock cameras the least invasive of all LPRs. He said that body cameras worn by law enforcement officers are more invasive because they capture faces, the interiors of homes and private businesses, and “the worst moments in your life.”
Judd said the answer is not to get rid of cameras, but to make guardrails for all law enforcement technology part of state law. “We need to have robust rules that ensure your privacy, ensure an auditing process, and ensure an accountability process,” he said.
“Technology already knows everything about all of us,” Judd said. “What we have to do in government is reign that in to make sure that it’s used appropriately.” He said Flock is not selling private information.
In a statement, he also reiterated his support of the technology and stated that PSCO will continue to use LPRs not located on state road rights-of-way.
ALPRs in Polk County and statewide
LPD will not disclose the location of their Flock ALPR cameras, but the state controls several roadways in the city:
- US 98: parts of Florida Avenue and Bartow Road
- US 92: parts of Memorial Boulevard and Main Street
- State Road 33: parts of Lakeland Hills Boulevard
- State Road 37: parts South Florida Avenue
- State Road 539: parts of Kathleen Road
- State Road 563: parts of Harden Boulevard, Pear Street, and Parker Street
- State Road 546: parts of West Memorial Blvd and New York Ave
- State Road 548: In-Town Bypass
FDOT’s order comes on the heels of several instances of abuse of the Flock database by Florida police officers. In early August, a Haines City police officer was arrested for misusing the Flock system to track his ex-wife. Later that month, a Sarasota police officer was fired and arrested after using the system to search for the same license plate 350 times when he was not actively working on an investigation involving the vehicle.
At a press conference on Aug. 26, Gov. Ron DeSantis criticized the prevalence of ALPRs on Florida’s roadways, saying, “I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state.” On Sept. 1, he reiterated those comments during a press conference on shipbuilding and aerospace and questioned if companies that provide the cameras are selling the data.
“I guarantee you every sheriff in Florida can point to examples where it’s been used appropriately and probably effectively, and I have no doubt that that’s the case,” DeSantis said. “But you also have to say, ‘OK, how could this be misused?’”
According to crowd-sourced website, DeFlock, contributors have reported 306 cameras in Polk County — at least 4 cameras for every 10,000 residents. In Hillsborough, DeFlock reports 2.29 cameras per every 10,000. Hardee County, with less than 26,000 residents, according to 2025 U.S. Census data, has more than seven cameras for every 10,000 residents.
Learn more about LPD and AI:
Based on data collected by DeFlock, there are 7,169 cameras statewide. DeFlock ranks Florida 14th nationally in cameras per capita (per 10,000 residents) and sixth in cameras per road mile. DeFlock does not provide municipal statistics.
An overwhelming majority of cameras in Lakeland and the surrounding areas, more than 95%, are operated by Flock, according to DeFlock.
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