Florida just ordered every automated license plate reader off its state highways, giving police 30 days to comply.
On Monday, the Florida Department of Transportation revoked permission for law enforcement to operate automated license plate readers on state highway rights-of-way. The order isn't aimed only at Flock Safety, the company most associated with the cameras; it covers the whole category, including gear from Axon and Motorola. Officials pointed to a "recent exponential increase" in camera deployments and "concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes." The directive only reaches highway rights-of-way, though. Cameras on local roads and private property, where officials say most units actually sit, aren't affected.
Florida appears to be the first state to order wholesale removal rather than simply pausing new installs or cutting funding, and Gov. Ron DeSantis has openly speculated the cameras are "capturing way more information than they're letting on." That makes this the sharpest move yet in a backlash that's been building fast: Texas halted state funding for Flock days earlier, and the Institute for Justice counts 144 local governments that have canceled or declined ALPR contracts since the start of 2025.
Flock's response, more guardrails rather than a ban, is the standard vendor line when a product goes from "boring public-safety tool" to the subject of a felony indictment and city council terminations in the same news cycle.