Before deciding whether to pull the plug on controversial automated license plate readers, Pinellas County Commissioners want a public accounting of the surveillance technology the sheriff’s office currently deploys.
Commissioner Vince Nowicki introduced a resolution on Sept. 10 that would terminate all county-level contracts, subscriptions, and data-sharing agreements with automated license plate reader (ALPR) providers, including Flock Safety and Axon. His proposal also mandates removing all cameras on county-controlled roads within 30 days of approval.
“I’m happy to entertain and move that forward today,” Nowicki said. “Though if it’s the will of the board to wait for the sheriff to come and do a presentation … I won’t make a motion.”
Commissioners agreed to defer a vote on the sweeping resolution that would dismantle ALPR infrastructure in Pinellas until after an Oct. 8 workshop presentation from Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. Nowicki, however, made it clear that his concerns regarding the scope of local surveillance remain unresolved.
The debate in Pinellas County follows a broader statewide crackdown on the technology. Recently, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) ordered the removal of ALPRs from state rights-of-way, citing regulatory and privacy concerns.
In response, Gualtieri emphatically defended the technology at a press conference on Sept. 2. The sheriff’s office, which has used some form of ALPRs since 2006, now utilizes 73 static, technologically advanced cameras.
FDOT previously allowed 23 on state roads in Pinellas. Gualtieri noted that all 560 patrol cars also feature Axon Fleet 3 dash cameras.
The surveillance network has helped reduce serious crime by 64% over the past decade – with no reported incidents of misuse, Gualtieri said. He bemoaned “misinformation” surrounding ALPRs, and argued that law enforcement cannot be stripped of vital investigative tools without consequences.
“We live in a technological age, which means we cannot fight crime in the Stone Age,” Gualtieri said. “As we cannot defund the police, we can also not de-tool the police, either.”
Nowicki, who first emphasized that he supports law enforcement, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security, pushed back against that assertion at the Sept. 10 meeting.
“I think it’s dangerous to say that removing something would bring Pinellas County to fighting crime in the Stone Age,” he said.
Nowicki also noted the sheriff’s extensive resources. An accounting of law enforcement assets would provide necessary context for the ALPR debate, he said.
“Taxpayers spend a lot of money for those assets,” Nowicki added. “We’re not taking away lots of things, but I think it’s important for the voters and taxpayers to know the tools, the abundance of tools that the sheriff’s office does have.”
County Administrator Barry Burton cautioned that listing all of the sheriff’s operational tools would be a monumental task. He asked for a more defined scope.
Nowicki specifically mentioned all vehicles, possible “robotic dogs that go after people,” mobile command centers and facial recognition tools. Commission Chair Dave Eggers said a broad categorization of assets, rather than an exhaustive itemized list, would suffice.
Nowicki agreed, and Burton will prepare a white paper on the topic well before the October workshop. Commissioner Brian Scott expressed strong support for delaying the vote out of respect for Gualtieri’s position as an independently elected constitutional officer.
“I definitely want to wait and talk with the sheriff,” Scott said, adding that he did not require a list of tools. “He’s got a lot of stuff. We know it.”
Eggers said the workshop’s primary focus should remain on the ALPR technology. He hopes to clarify how the systems operate, how investigators use collected data and to dispel public misconceptions about the surveillance network.
The workshop will provide a forum for direct interaction between the commissioners and the sheriff regarding the balance of public safety and personal privacy. Local pushback against Flock cameras aligns with growing grassroots skepticism across the region and nation.
Activists and residents have argued that mass surveillance networks inherently violate civil liberties by tracking the movements of innocent citizens without probable cause. In a recent social media post, Nowicki said Gov. Ron DeSantis and FDOT ordered the removal of ALPRs over “concerns about misuse, privacy, and expanding surveillance,” and “Pinellas County should follow their lead.”
Nowicki also wants local municipalities to cancel contracts with ALPR providers. “Public safety and personal liberty aren’t mutually exclusive,” he said, before concluding with a quote from Benjamin Franklin.
“Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.”
At least 22 police and sheriff’s officials nationwide have been arrested, fired, put on leave or placed under investigation because of USA TODAY’s recent reporting on widespread Flock camera misuse. The Institute for Justice has cataloged over 200 incidents of ALPR abuse, including romantic stalking, wrongful stops and detentions, non-law enforcement use and other types of misconduct, since 2023.
