{"id":823,"date":"2026-08-27T19:47:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-27T23:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/?p=823"},"modified":"2026-08-31T11:45:04","modified_gmt":"2026-08-31T15:45:04","slug":"desantis-flock-cameras-tampa-bay","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/desantis-flock-cameras-tampa-bay\/","title":{"rendered":"DeSantis Calls Flock Cameras \u2018Out of Control\u2019 as Tampa Bay Governments Reconsider Their Use"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Florida\u2019s expanding license-plate-reader network is facing new scrutiny following allegations of police misuse, growing community opposition and questions about who can search residents\u2019 movements.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"root-eb-toc-g6gsq wp-block-essential-blocks-table-of-contents\"><div class=\"eb-parent-wrapper eb-parent-eb-toc-g6gsq \"><div class=\"eb-toc-container eb-toc-g6gsq  eb-toc-is-not-sticky eb-toc-collapsible eb-toc-initially-not-collapsed eb-toc-scrollToTop style-2 list-style-none\" data-scroll-top=\"false\" data-scroll-top-icon=\"fas fa-angle-up\" data-collapsible=\"true\" data-sticky-hide-mobile=\"false\" data-sticky=\"false\" data-scroll-target=\"scroll_to_toc\" data-copy-link=\"false\" data-editor-type=\"\" data-hide-desktop=\"false\" data-hide-tab=\"false\" data-hide-mobile=\"false\" data-itemcollapsed=\"false\" data-highlight-scroll=\"false\"><div class=\"eb-toc-header\"><h2 class=\"eb-toc-title\">Table of Contents<\/h2><\/div><div class=\"eb-toc-wrapper \" data-headers=\"[{&quot;level&quot;:2,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;A network built with little public discussion&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;A network built with little public discussion&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;a-network-built-with-little-public-discussion&quot;},{&quot;level&quot;:2,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;What the cameras collect&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;What the cameras collect&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;what-the-cameras-collect&quot;},{&quot;level&quot;:2,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;Florida misuse cases make the risk concrete&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Florida misuse cases make the risk concrete&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;florida-misuse-cases-make-the-risk-concrete&quot;},{&quot;level&quot;:2,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;Pasco County is ending its system&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Pasco County is ending its system&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;pasco-county-is-ending-its-system&quot;},{&quot;level&quot;:2,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;Florida\\u2019s existing rules leave unanswered questions&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Florida\\u2019s existing rules leave unanswered questions&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;floridas-existing-rules-leave-unanswered-questions&quot;},{&quot;level&quot;:2,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;The questions St. Petersburg must answer&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;The questions St. Petersburg must answer&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;the-questions-st-petersburg-must-answer&quot;},{&quot;level&quot;:3,&quot;content&quot;:&quot;Sources &amp; Editorial Note&quot;,&quot;text&quot;:&quot;Sources &amp; Editorial Note&quot;,&quot;link&quot;:&quot;sources-editorial-note&quot;}]\" data-visible=\"[true,true,true,true,true,true]\" data-delete-headers=\"[{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;A network built with little public discussion&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;a-network-built-with-little-public-discussion&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:false},{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;What the cameras collect&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;what-the-cameras-collect&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:false},{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Florida misuse cases make the risk concrete&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;florida-misuse-cases-make-the-risk-concrete&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:false},{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Pasco County is ending its system&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;pasco-county-is-ending-its-system&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:false},{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Florida\\u2019s existing rules leave unanswered questions&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;floridas-existing-rules-leave-unanswered-questions&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:false},{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;The questions St. Petersburg must answer&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;the-questions-st-petersburg-must-answer&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:false},{&quot;label&quot;:&quot;Sources &amp; Editorial Note&quot;,&quot;value&quot;:&quot;sources-editorial-note&quot;,&quot;isDelete&quot;:true}]\" data-smooth=\"true\" data-top-offset=\"\"><div class=\"eb-toc__list-wrap\"><ul class=\"eb-toc__list\"><li><a href=\"#a-network-built-with-little-public-discussion\">A network built with little public discussion<\/a><li><a href=\"#what-the-cameras-collect\">What the cameras collect<\/a><li><a href=\"#florida-misuse-cases-make-the-risk-concrete\">Florida misuse cases make the risk concrete<\/a><li><a href=\"#pasco-county-is-ending-its-system\">Pasco County is ending its system<\/a><li><a href=\"#floridas-existing-rules-leave-unanswered-questions\">Florida\u2019s existing rules leave unanswered questions<\/a><li><a href=\"#the-questions-st-petersburg-must-answer\">The questions St. Petersburg must answer<\/a><\/ul><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cameras went up before St. Petersburg held a substantial public debate about what they could become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Now, after the city expanded its network of automated license-plate readers to approximately 50 cameras, elected officials are beginning that conversation amid growing concern about privacy, police access and the sharing of vehicle-location data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The debate escalated Wednesday when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis called the expanding use of license-plate readers \u201cout of control\u201d and warned that the technology could help create a \u201csurveillance state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI\u2019m all about having law enforcement have tools to be able to hold criminals accountable,\u201d DeSantis said after an event at Florida International University. \u201cBut I don\u2019t want to have this become a surveillance state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The following day, the St. Petersburg City Council unanimously agreed to send the city\u2019s contract with Flock Safety and its use of the company\u2019s cameras to the Public Services and Infrastructure Committee for closer review.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The referral does not suspend the cameras or end the city\u2019s contract. It does, however, open the door to a public examination of a surveillance system that largely expanded without one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"540\" height=\"420\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/St-Pete-City-Hall@0.5x-8.png\" alt=\"St. Petersburg City Hall with rainbow-painted front steps and palm trees outside the entrance.\" class=\"wp-image-827\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/St-Pete-City-Hall@0.5x-8.png 540w, https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/St-Pete-City-Hall@0.5x-8-300x233.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 540px) 100vw, 540px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">St. Petersburg City Hall, where the City Council voted unanimously on August 27, 2026, to refer the city\u2019s Flock Safety contract and license-plate-reader practices for committee review. Photo: Karina Paskaleva.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A network built with little public discussion<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">St. Petersburg began testing Flock cameras through a 25-camera pilot program in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Two years later, the City Council approved a five-year contract worth approximately $730,250 that expanded the network to about 50 cameras. The contract appeared on the council\u2019s consent agenda, where routine matters are generally approved together, and passed without substantive council discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Council Vice Chair Richie Floyd, who requested the committee review, was absent from that 2024 meeting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt deserves a discussion,\u201d Floyd told Axios before Thursday\u2019s referral.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That discussion is arriving as DeFlock St. Pete, a recently formed community organization, calls on the city to terminate its contract and remove the cameras. More than 100 people reportedly attended the organization\u2019s first public meeting this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The group\u2019s concerns extend beyond whether St. Petersburg police officers are using the system appropriately. Organizers also question how much information is collected, which outside agencies can search it and how much control the city retains after its camera data enters a broader law-enforcement network.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those questions have also entered the city\u2019s mayoral campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Former Gov. Charlie Crist, who is challenging incumbent Mayor Ken Welch in the November runoff, has called for a moratorium until the city develops a clearer understanding of how police use the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think we ought to have a moratorium on them until we really understand comprehensively what they\u2019re used for, what law enforcement is specifically using them for,\u201d Crist told Spectrum News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Welch has defended the system as a useful public-safety tool and described calls to abandon it as premature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cLet\u2019s talk about it without throwing out a tool that is helping us track down people that make us less safe as a community,\u201d Welch said. \u201cIf there\u2019s a strong enough argument that it\u2019s such an invasion, then we can take it down. I haven\u2019t seen that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What the cameras collect<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flock cameras are not conventional traffic cameras that continuously record video, and St. Petersburg says they are not designed to identify drivers or passengers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They photograph passing vehicles and produce searchable records containing information such as the license-plate number and issuing state, vehicle make, model, body style, color and other distinguishing characteristics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"720\" height=\"462\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALPR_License_Plate_Reader_Cameras_Pensacola_Florida@0.75x-8.png\" alt=\"Automated license-plate-reader cameras mounted above a roadway near the entrance to Pensacola Beach, Florida.\" class=\"wp-image-829\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALPR_License_Plate_Reader_Cameras_Pensacola_Florida@0.75x-8.png 720w, https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/ALPR_License_Plate_Reader_Cameras_Pensacola_Florida@0.75x-8-300x193.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That distinction matters\u2014but so does the scale of the collection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The system does not wait for a vehicle to become connected to a suspected crime before recording it. It captures vehicles passing within a camera\u2019s view, creating records that authorized users can later search during an investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">According to the St. Petersburg Police Department, the cameras have been used to investigate crimes, locate missing people, recover stolen vehicles and respond to AMBER Alerts, Silver Alerts and other urgent situations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police Chief Anthony Holloway has said the department does not use Flock to monitor residents\u2019 daily activities or track people without a legitimate law-enforcement purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The department\u2019s written policy restricts access to authorized personnel, prohibits personal or illegal searches and warns that misuse can result in discipline, termination, criminal prosecution or civil liability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Users must confirm that a plate alert is accurate before taking law-enforcement action. The policy also states that an alert, by itself, does not establish probable cause for a stop or arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those safeguards address how officers are supposed to use the system. They do not eliminate the possibility of abuse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"475\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sarasota-Police-Department-headquarters@0.75x-8.png\" alt=\"Exterior of the Sarasota Police Department headquarters in Sarasota, Florida.\" class=\"wp-image-831\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sarasota-Police-Department-headquarters@0.75x-8.png 713w, https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Sarasota-Police-Department-headquarters@0.75x-8-300x200.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Sarasota Police Department fired and arrested former officer Cory Waiters after investigators alleged that he misused law-enforcement databases, including Flock. The charges remain pending, and Waiters is presumed innocent unless proven guilty. Photo: Greg Wilson<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Florida misuse cases make the risk concrete<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The concern that an officer might use license-plate data for a personal purpose is no longer hypothetical.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The Sarasota Police Department arrested and fired former officer Cory Waiters on August 19 after investigators alleged that he misused law-enforcement databases, including Flock and Florida\u2019s Driver and Vehicle Information Database, known as DAVID.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Waiters faces felony charges involving computer access and official misconduct, along with a misdemeanor public-records charge. The allegations have not been proven in court, and he is presumed innocent unless convicted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Sarasota police said the department launched an internal investigation after learning of the alleged conduct on August 6. An agency-wide audit was subsequently completed and, according to the department, found compliance among other personnel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other Florida officers have faced allegations involving personal searches of license-plate-reader data, including searches reportedly connected to former romantic partners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeSantis referenced the wider pattern while explaining why he believes state lawmakers must act.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cI think people are right to be concerned,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s going to get a lot worse unless we have some protections for the people in Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Pasco County is ending its system<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While St. Petersburg begins reviewing its program, another Tampa Bay government is moving toward shutting its system down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco announced Wednesday that his office will terminate its license-plate-detection agreement effective September 30 after a majority of county commissioners withdrew their support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Nocco criticized that decision and warned that removing the technology could make it harder to solve crimes and locate missing or endangered people.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image aligncenter size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"713\" height=\"401\" src=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pasco-county-commisioner-data-center-meeting@0.75x-8.png\" alt=\"Residents attend a Pasco County Board of County Commissioners meeting in the county commission chambers.\" class=\"wp-image-833\" srcset=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pasco-county-commisioner-data-center-meeting@0.75x-8.png 713w, https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/pasco-county-commisioner-data-center-meeting@0.75x-8-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 713px) 100vw, 713px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">The Pasco County Board of County Commissioners during a public meeting. <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">His response illustrates the central conflict surrounding Flock cameras.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Police agencies describe automated readers as force multipliers that can rapidly identify vehicles associated with violent crimes, stolen property or missing people. Opponents argue that those benefits must be weighed against a system capable of recording the movements of large numbers of people who are not suspected of committing a crime.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Both facts can be true: the cameras can produce valuable investigative leads, and the database they create can be abused.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Florida\u2019s existing rules leave unanswered questions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Florida law defines automated license-plate-recognition systems and requires a maximum records-retention schedule. It also treats images and identifying information held by government agencies as confidential and permits criminal-justice agencies to exchange that information while performing their official duties.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Those provisions do not amount to a comprehensive statewide framework governing warrants, independent audits, outside-agency searches and public reporting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Flock has announced changes intended to address some of the criticism nationally. The company says it plans to reduce its standard retention period from 30 days to seven days, require searches to be connected to case numbers and use an auditing system designed to flag abnormal behavior.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">St. Petersburg currently says its Flock information is retained for 30 days. City officials have not publicly established that the department has already moved to the company\u2019s planned seven-day standard.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The company\u2019s changes also leave an important accountability question unresolved: Should safeguards governing a publicly funded surveillance network depend primarily on settings supplied by a private vendor, or should they be imposed by elected officials through enforceable public policy?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That is the discussion St. Petersburg is only now beginning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The questions St. Petersburg must answer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The City Council\u2019s review should establish exactly which agencies can search information collected by St. Petersburg cameras, what justification users must enter, how searches are audited and how frequently supervisors examine those audit logs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Officials should also disclose how often the cameras have directly contributed to arrests, recovered vehicles or located missing people; how often false alerts have occurred; and whether outside agencies have used St. Petersburg data for purposes the city itself would not authorize.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Residents should not have to choose between accepting an effectively unreviewable surveillance network and rejecting every technological tool available to investigators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real choice is whether the system will operate under rules that are public, specific and independently enforceable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">DeSantis has now called for statewide legislative protections. Pasco County is preparing to remove its system. St. Petersburg\u2019s mayoral candidates have taken opposing positions, and the City Council has agreed to review a contract it previously approved with little discussion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The cameras have been watching St. Petersburg for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The public is finally getting an opportunity to watch back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading has-small-font-size\"><em>Sources &amp; Editorial Note<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>This article is based on publicly available government records, official agency statements, departmental policies and reporting published through August 27, 2026. State of Disorder has not independently verified allegations against individuals identified in pending criminal cases. Charges are allegations, and every defendant is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Primary and supporting sources:<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-small-font-size\">\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fox35orlando.com\/news\/florida-gov-desantis-license-plate-readers-its-out-control\"><em>Gov. Ron DeSantis\u2019s August 26 remarks on license-plate readers, reported by FOX 35 Orlando<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/police.stpete.org\/2026\/august\/06\/statementOnFlockCameras.html\"><em>St. Petersburg Police Chief Anthony Holloway\u2019s statement on Flock cameras<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/police.stpete.org\/generalOrders\/section-3\/iii-41-LicensePlateRecognitionSystem-LPRS.pdf\"><em>St. Petersburg Police Department General Order III-41 governing license-plate-recognition systems<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/floridapolitics.com\/archives\/817126-st-pete-turns-an-eye-on-big-brother-after-flock-network-grows-in-the-dark\/\"><em>St. Petersburg City Council\u2019s unanimous referral of the Flock program for committee review, reported by Florida Politics<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wusf.org\/politics-issues\/2026-08-27\/deflock-st-pete-takes-camera-fight-to-city-council\"><em>Reporting on St. Petersburg\u2019s approximately $730,250 Flock agreement and DeFlock St. Pete\u2019s campaign, from WUSF and the St. Pete Catalyst<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/baynews9.com\/fl\/tampa\/news\/2026\/08\/19\/crist-calls-for-flock-camera-moratorium-in-st-pete-welch-defends-use\"><em>Charlie Crist\u2019s proposed moratorium and Mayor Ken Welch\u2019s response, reported by Spectrum Bay News 9<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/baynews9.com\/fl\/tampa\/news\/2026\/08\/26\/pasco-sheriff-nocco-to-end-license-plate-detection-systems\"><em>Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco\u2019s decision to terminate the county\u2019s license-plate-detection agreement, reported by Spectrum Bay News 9<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.sarasotapd.org\/Home\/Components\/News\/News\/4455\/5080?fsiteid=9\"><em>Sarasota Police Department\u2019s announcement concerning former officer Cory Waiters<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Laws\/Statutes\/2026\/0316.0777\"><em>Florida Statutes \u00a7316.0777 governing automated license-plate-recognition systems and protected records<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.flsenate.gov\/Laws\/Statutes\/2026\/0316.0778\"><em>Florida Statutes \u00a7316.0778 governing records retention<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/article\/flock-license-plate-cameras-surveillance-deflock-2a93bc075e2f7ffcca9e04a35d75a3fe\"><em>Associated Press reporting on Flock Safety\u2019s announced retention, auditing and case-number requirements<\/em><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-small-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><em>State of Disorder will update this article if St. Petersburg schedules its committee review, changes its retention or data-sharing practices, releases additional usage information, or takes action on its Flock Safety contract.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Gov. Ron DeSantis says Florida\u2019s expanding network of license-plate readers is \u201cout of control.\u201d Tampa Bay\u2019s growing backlash and documented misuse allegations raise questions about who can search residents\u2019 movements\u2014and who watches the watchers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":825,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_eb_attr":"","_wp_convertkit_post_meta":{"form":"-1","landing_page":"0","tag":"0","restrict_content":"0"},"_convertkit_action_broadcast_export":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[129,39,136,128,127,135,131,132,130,133,134],"class_list":["post-823","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-justice","tag-automated-license-plate-readers","tag-featured","tag-flock-camera-privacy","tag-flock-safety-cameras","tag-florida-flock-cameras","tag-florida-surveillance-laws","tag-license-plate-readers-florida","tag-ron-desantis-flock-cameras","tag-st-petersburg-flock-cameras","tag-st-petersburg-police-department","tag-tampa-bay-surveillance-cameras"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t<!-- All in One SEO 5.0.1.1 - aioseo.com -->\n\t<meta name=\"description\" content=\"DeSantis calls Flock cameras \u201cout of control\u201d as Tampa Bay residents question police access, privacy protections and documented misuse.\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"max-image-preview:large\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"author\" content=\"State Of Disorder\"\/>\n\t<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stateofdisorder.com\/index.php\/2026\/08\/27\/desantis-flock-cameras-tampa-bay\/\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"generator\" content=\"All in One SEO (AIOSEO) 5.0.1.1\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n\t\t<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"State of Disorder - Politics. 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