Florida Transportation Department Blocks Flock on State Roads; Counties Follow Suit

The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) has issued an order prohibiting the use of Flock cameras to spy on Floridians on state roads, and many counties are following suit.

In a massive win for privacy and liberty, FDOT released a memorandum on Monday revoking the general-use permits for automated license plate readers.

“While Florida law limits the issuance of permits for LPR [license plate reader] systems to law enforcement agencies,” the memo states, “the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life.”

The department made it clear that approvals for the placement of Flock cameras on state rights-of-way are temporary, and with the onslaught of privacy concerns, the state must revoke all permits for law enforcement.

Local agencies have 30 days to remove the cameras from state property. If they refuse to comply, FDOT will step in.

Counties Double Down

This week, in light of the move, multiple counties in the Sunshine State applied FDOT’s decision locally and ordered the removal of Flock cameras from county roads.

Most significantly, Miami-Dade, the largest county in the state, with nearly three million residents, axed Flock.

Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said in a statement posted on social media that “public safety and constitutional rights are not competing values. In Miami-Dade County, we have shown that we can protect both.”

In addition to the sheriff’s department removing all Flock cameras from FDOT infrastructure, “the Miami-Dade Sheriff’s Office license plate reader (LPR) program will be suspended in its entirety,” the sheriff concluded.

Other counties that have decided to drop Flock include Walton, Franklin, Liberty, Okaloosa, and Calhoun, and many more are expected to do so as well.

Governor Ron DeSantis Leads the Way

At the forefront of the charge to protect Floridians’ privacy stands Governor Ron DeSantis (R), who is terming out in January after two terms.

“I’m all about having law enforcement have tools to hold criminals accountable,” the governor said, “but I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state.”

He added that the surveillance state has become out of control, and articulated his belief for a so-called AI bill of rights to limit Big Tech’s influence over Floridians and the American people at large.

This move is just the beginning.

Why the Concern Over Flock?

Founded in 2017, Flock Safety is not just a simple license plate reader-technology development company. As JP exposed earlier this year, the company boasts that it is the “largest public-private” surveillance network, with the expressed goal of eliminating all crime — literally.

In an interview with Forbes, Garrett Langley, Flock’s founder, explained that the “full mission is that we genuinely don’t think that crime should exist…. We think that with technology, with people, with policy, crime can be a thing of the past.”

In other words, with enough surveillance, they can control Americans.

Flock cameras are not simply just license plate readers, as many falsely believe — they are equipped with gunshot detection technology to locate the use of firearms. And Flock’s AI brain, Freeform, can conduct precise searches of vehicles down to their bumper stickers using their “fingerprint” approach.

To make matters worse, Flock has rolled out a drone companion to the cameras called Flock Alpha. The units can travel up to 60 miles per hour, cover 50 square miles of territory, and are even equipped with thermal night vision.

These are not your typical license plate readers.

The Funders Behind Flock

For years critical thinkers have been encouraged to “follow the money.” Following Flock’s investors reveals an alarming connection.

Flock Safety is estimated to be worth $7.5 billion. Clearly it could not become that large so quickly without massive support.

Two significant funders are Palantir CEO Peter Thiel’s Founders Fund, a $17 billion venture-capital outfit, and Andreessen Horowitz. They are tip of the spear in AI-powered intelligence, Big Tech, and defense weaponry.

And Flock is one of their pet projects.

So why are these two funders concerning for liberty-minded Americans?

Starting with Peter Thiel, his AI data company Palantir exists to collect data on Americans. It received seed money from the CIA upon its inception.

Palantir currently has active contracts with the Departments of Defense and Homeland Security, the National Security Agency, and the FBI to collect and analyze data on civilians to build a predictive policing state.

Andreessen Horowitz, the second Big Tech Flock funder, founded by Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz, is one of the biggest Silicon Valley venture-capital firms.

To prove the point, back in 2012, Business Insider wrote that the company is so mighty that “if they want in on a deal, they get in on a deal.”

It is easier to find a Big Tech giant that Andreessen Horowitz does not have any connection with. The firm has invested in X (formerly Twitter), Elon Musk’s xAI, Skype, Substack, Facebook, and even the video game Roblox, which has been repeatedly exposed as a grooming site for online sex traffickers.

In an announcement last year, Flock shared that they received over a quarter of a billion dollars in funding from both Palantir and Andreessen Horowitz to help them construct “investigative intelligence” and even more drones.

Flock is currently erecting hundreds of new cameras every week across the country.

The Fight Isn’t Over

While the monumental decision from Governor DeSantis and FDOT will no doubt inspire more counties in Florida and other states to take similar action, the fight is far from over.

The use of Flock cameras is still growing across the United States; the website DeFlock reports over 137,000 cameras actively surveilling Americans across the nation.

Nathan DiPietro, a Florida-based educator and activist who has been sounding the alarm on Flock surveillance and working with local officials for nearly two years, told JP that Florida’s decision is a “tremendous win for personal freedom. The people are fighting back against the advancing surveillance state.”

But privacy advocates should not see this win as the end.

“This is an opportunity for us as citizens to take back our privacy rights from both Big Tech and the government,” said DiPietro, who is also vice president of the West Florida Young Republicans. “Our voice made a difference, and we are not stopping now.”