Authored by Bryan Hyde via American Greatness,

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has ordered the removal of all Flock Safety automated license plate reader (ALPR) cameras from state highway right-of-ways, citing privacy, data, and systematic surveillance concerns.

The Daily Caller reports that DeSantis ordered all Flock cameras to be removed from the "state highway system," including interstates such as I-10 and I-75, within 30 days, in a Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) memo on Monday.

According to WCTV, the order specifically targets cameras on state-owned roads, including major interstates like I-10 and I-75 but does not automatically ban cameras operating on local city or county roads, nor does it impact devices installed on private or commercial properties.

Local law enforcement agencies will have 30 days to remove the hardware and if they fail to comply, FDOT will remove the cameras independently.

DeSantis remains supportive of law enforcement but acknowledged that growing evidence of camera misuse has raised legitimate concerns about government surveillance.

During a press conference last Wednesday, DeSantis warned against allowing Florida to become a "surveillance state" and said, "I think people are right to be concerned."

The Republican Governor stated:

But, you also have to say, okay, how could this be misused? And 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.

DeSantis called on the Florida Legislature to cement permanent regulations into law during the next legislative session and advocated for a comprehensive AI Bill of Rights to institute strict criminal penalties for data misuse and protect citizens from emerging digital monitoring methods.

Following the announcement, several sheriff's departments, including those in Putnam, Liberty and Franklin counties, announced they would end their own license plate reader programs.