FDOT is pulling permits for license plate readers. What does that mean for Flock cameras in SWFL?

Our Take

Credit to WINK News for digging into a detail that a lot of coverage glosses over: how these cameras actually get bolted onto public right-of-way in the first place. If FDOT is now saying permits weren't properly pulled for Flock installations in Southwest Florida, that's not a minor paperwork snag — it's a sign that police departments and counties have been racing to blanket roads with ALPRs faster than the basic bureaucratic guardrails could keep up.

This is the pattern we see over and over: surveillance infrastructure gets deployed first, oversight questions get asked later, if ever. A permitting fight won't fix the underlying privacy problem — a camera that's properly permitted still logs every plate that passes, still feeds a nationwide database, still gets queried without a warrant in plenty of cases. But it does show that even the mundane process of installing this stuff hasn't gotten the scrutiny it deserves, and that local governments have been leaning on Flock's sales pitch instead of doing their own homework.

Worth watching whether this becomes a real check on the network or just a temporary speed bump before permits get rubber-stamped. Check our camera map to see what's already up in your area, and hit take action if you want to push back before the next round of cameras goes in.