Florida's Department of Transportation has officially banned police from placing license plate readers on state roads, according to a one-page memorandum from DOT Chief Operating Officer Will Watts. The decision is an early example of state regulators responding to the growing animus directed at automatic license plate reader (ALPR) providers like Flock Safety, and one that isn't exclusive to Florida.

Per the memorandum, permits for license plate readers are immediately revoked and police have within 30 days of August 31 to remove them from state roads. Florida's Department of Transportation says it will also "use its discretionary authority to cease the issuance of all future requests for LPR systems within its jurisdictional authority."

The license plate reader ban was made at the behest of Florida Governor Ron De Santis, who said in August 2026 that use of the technology was "out of control" in the state. Removing cameras from state roads is an attempt to address the problem. As De Santis noted, changing DOT rules doesn't impact the 98 percent of ALPRs that are installed on local roads and private property. Both Jacksonville and Okaloosa county sheriffs have also committed to removing ALPRs from their jurisdiction.

Flock, the ALPR company that's faced the most backlash in 2026, has ample examples on its website as to how ubiquitous cameras could help states and cities. The problem most people have with ALPRs is the idea of constantly being surveilled, and the already documented ways Flock's own cameras have been misused. Outside of Florida's ban, the Los Angeles Police Department suspended its contract with Flock in July. Earlier in August, two counties in Ohio also paused their use of Flock cameras. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott went as far as pausing funding for state agencies trying to acquire Flock hardware.