Americans should imagine the tyranny that would have reigned if Flock Safety surveillance cameras were widespread during the coronavirus lockdowns, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said this week, calling for legislation “that will protect Floridians from allowing the state to turn into some type of digital prison, digital surveillance state where somebody knows everything about what you’re doing every day of the week.”
There has been growing national backlash against the use of AI-powered license plate reader cameras, particularly in the Sunshine State, leading Florida’s transportation department to revoke local police departments’ authority to install license plate reader cameras on state highways. Some Florida county sheriffs are going above and beyond and removing the cameras, while others are doing the bare minimum and ignoring the outcry from their communities.
DeSantis said during a press conference this week that, at the county level, law enforcement claims it is using the technology to focus on criminal activity. However, he said it is crucial to realize the scope of the issue and understand that this technology could easily be misused — as it already has been.
“I don’t think it’s their intent to do general surveillance. But I will tell you, if we had all this around the country when COVID happened, you absolutely would have saw those turned on people who were outside of lockdown orders in California,” DeSantis warned, noting that officials could have used the cameras to monitor the activity of people who did not get vaccinated.
“You didn’t take your your vax? You can’t go here. You can’t travel. I mean, if you look at polling during that period of time — and look, I’m not trying to be partisan. This is just how it broke down. There were way more Democrats that supported this in public. You had a majority of Democrats that thought people that didn’t take the mRNA COVID shot should be detained by law enforcement authorities, not allowed to go to stores like that,” the governor said. “Like really, really crazy stuff.”
“So when you’re dealing with this as a policymaker, you’ve got to look: ‘Ok, how’s it being used?’ 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. But you also have to say, ‘Ok, how could this be misused?’” DeSantis said.
“And and how could people — how could a private company misuse the data? But also law enforcement. We know there was an officer in Florida who was using the LPR data to track like an ex-girlfriend or something like that. I don’t think we have really strong penalties at all for that type of misuse,” he said, calling for legislation that “will protect Floridians from allowing the state to turn into some type of digital prison, digital surveillance state, where somebody knows everything about what you’re doing every day of the week.”
“You know, you want to get in your car and you want to go to down to Buc-ee’s in St. Augustine. It’s really none of the government’s damn business if you’re doing that, right?” he said to applause.
DeSantis was likely referencing the DeFlock movement in St. Johns County and the protests around the Flock cameras surrounding the Buc-ee’s in the city, featuring locals holding picket signs blocking the view of Flock cameras.
While neighboring county sheriffs have acknowledged the concerns of the citizenry, St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick dismissed concerns as ignorance and misinformation while comparing efforts to “deFlock” to defunding police. This week he doubled down, letting citizens know he would comply with state orders but nothing beyond that. In other words, the Flock cameras peppering the county are there to stay.
Hardwick said in a statement, “The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office [SJSO] remains confident in the effectiveness and overwhelming success of license plate reader technology. In addition, I am humbled by the trust the community has shown for our agency’s use of this valuable tool.”
“As your Sheriff, it is my responsibility to protect you, the citizens and visitors of St. Johns County. As technology evolves, we will continue to pursue the best balance between public safety and personal privacy,” he said, providing no indication of how his agency ensures personal privacy given his insults to critics.
“SJSO supports the development of legislation which addresses concerns surrounding LPR technology and establishes clear standards for its use. We look forward to continuing our collaboration with the Florida Sheriffs Association, as well as our state legislators and local stakeholders in shaping effective policy,” his statement added.
Notably, the sheriff’s office limited who can comment on its post.
Meanwhile, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters in neighboring Duval County said they are going beyond the state’s order, removing all of the county’s Flock-type cameras partly due to “concerns expressed by members of our community.”
