<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced on September 3, 2026, that the state will revoke all law enforcement license-plate-recognition (LPR) camera permits on state highways, with the removal of all such cameras expected by the end of September. DeSantis stated, "If you want to get in your car and you want to go down to Buc-ee's in St. Augustine, it's really none of the government's damn business if you're doing that, right?"</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">DeSantis expressed concerns about the expansion of automated license plate readers (ALPRs) across the country, stating, "What we don't want in the state of Florida is to have a digital AI surveillance state where everything we're doing is being tracked at all times." While ALPRs can assist in crime detection, they are also susceptible to misuse, allowing officers to track individuals' movements and associations.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Instances of police misconduct involving ALPRs have been reported, including cases where officers accessed license plate information for personal reasons. Florida's decision follows similar actions in Texas, where state agencies were ordered to cease funding for Flock cameras. According to the advocacy group Secure Justice, August 2026 saw a record number of towns and cities cancel their contracts with Flock, with 90 out of 214 cities terminating contracts since 2021 doing so in that month.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">One potential solution to address privacy concerns is stricter regulation of data retention. For example, New Hampshire mandates that ALPR data be deleted after three minutes, while Flock's default retention period is seven days. Corinne Worthington, advocacy manager at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project, noted that Flock's visibility has raised public awareness about the risks associated with ALPRs.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Despite Flock's prominence, it is not the only ALPR provider. Other companies, including Motorola, Rekor, and Axon, also supply similar technology to law enforcement. Worthington cautioned against solely targeting Flock, as cities may replace its cameras with those from other vendors. Rekor has called for national regulations to ensure the responsible use of ALPR technology.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Rekor's vice president, Charlie Degliomini, emphasized that the focus should shift from whether ALPRs should exist to how they are regulated. He noted that Rekor is advocating for a warrant requirement for certain plate searches. However, concerns about potential abuse of Rekor's cameras have also emerged, with activists in New York suing local police for allegedly misusing the technology.</p>
<p class="wp-block-paragraph">Axon's CEO, Rick Smith, mentioned the possibility of redesigning Axon cameras to differentiate them from Flock cameras, which have faced public backlash. The future of surveillance technology and public acceptance remains uncertain.</p>