Big Breaking News! The DeFlocking of Florida has begun.

Our Take

If this holds up, it's a big deal. Florida DOT revoking right-of-way permits for Flock installations means the legal ground these cameras were bolted to just shifted, and apparently some sheriffs aren't waiting around to find out how a court fight would go. Credit to Daytona Beach Lawyer for flagging this fast and translating what a bureaucratic permit decision actually means for the thousands of plates scanned every day on Florida highways.

This is exactly the kind of win that doesn't come from Flock Safety having a change of heart. It comes from someone with jurisdiction over the pavement asking a basic question: did anyone actually have the authority to bolt a permanent surveillance camera to a state-owned pole and feed the data into a nationwide network? When the answer is murky, the cameras have to come down, at least until the paperwork catches up. That's a reminder that the legal foundation under a lot of these deployments is thinner than agencies like to admit.

Don't assume this means Florida is clean now. Permits get reissued, counties and cities install on their own rights-of-way, and agencies quietly route around setbacks like this one all the time. Check the map to see what's still running near you, and if you want to push your own city or county to follow Florida's sheriffs and pull the plug, our take-action page has the steps to get started.