Venice

Florida's Department of Transportation has ordered all license plate readers, including Flock Safety cameras, removed from state roads, marking the first time a state has pulled an entire category of surveillance equipment. The move follows Gov. Ron DeSantis's stance against the technology amid growing privacy and surveillance concerns nationwide, including reports of officers misusing the cameras to stalk people and ICE using them to track immigrants.

Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner is leading opposition to the ban, joined by roughly ten Florida mayors who signed a letter to DeSantis. In response, the Miami Beach City Commission is weighing two competing proposals: Meiner wants to allocate up to $50,000 to install new license plate readers on private property, with owner permission, to offset losses from the state ban, citing interest from neighborhood associations and existing readers at Mount Sinai Medical Center. Commissioner David Suarez instead proposes a 90-day moratorium on new installations paired with stricter oversight, including monthly audits, inspector general review, and shorter data retention, citing privacy risks from tracking people's movements and personal activities. The dispute underscores tension between police departments favoring the technology and officials responding to privacy backlash.