Clearing the Air: Why St. Johns County Must Deflock
By Chensley Dosio
On Aug. 31, the Florida Department of Transportation revoked every single permit it had issued for automated license plate readers (ALPRs) installed within the State Highway system, giving all involved agencies 30 days to remove them. FDOT cited exponential growth in public discontent, along with documented misuse and surveillance concerns, as justification. For those of us who have spent months rallying for St. Johns County to reconsider its contracts and APLR usage, the order seemed an exciting and hard-fought victory, but it was not. Since then, there has been nothing but constant debate over whether or not the cameras will actually be taken down in our county.
But all of this begs the question… what is actually at stake?
An automated license plate reader is not simply a speed or light camera, or some other traditional means of police jurisdiction. It photographs and records every plate that passes a specific point, logs the time/location, and stores that record in a searchable database, along with a vehicle’s distinguishing features. This even extends to Bluetooth logs and tracking passersby in some cases. Through simply a phone or another electric signal, an ALPR can track exactly who has been within a certain area in addition to further information. No suspicion is required, and no warrant is sought, yet most vehicles and individuals logged belong to people who have done nothing and committed no crime. The danger is not simply a photograph; it is the aggregate. Our dense network and system of readers within this county reconstructs where a person’s vehicle has traveled. These grant a breakdown of where a person has been; be it near a place of worship, a medical appointment, a political event, a lawyer’s office… anywhere, really. ALPRs grant a means of constant surveillance to ALPR companies (a third, non-government party) that our local offices purchase information from. This data isn’t even the county or state’s alone! In fact, they are not even the first ones to collect it. These large “security” corporations are. Evidently, these cameras are not some hypothetical harms invented by questionable skeptics.
Understanding that misuse happens rampantly is now well established. A Washington Post investigation this August identified at least fifty officers nationwide charged with or accused of running unauthorized personal investigations such as surveilling ex partners, associates, etc., with no case number and no legitimate investigative purpose attached. These instances of no probable cause leading to the unnecessary and unlawful gathering of information are becoming increasingly common in reports. Flock’s own leadership has acknowledged that misuse occurs and pointed to audit tools as the remedy. However, an audit tool that flags abuse after the fact does not prevent the search, and it does nothing to reverse whatever record might be made in the interim. In addition to this, the accuracy and effectiveness of such an audit cannot be guaranteed. Overall, the threats of this network are becoming increasingly clear as a warrantless surveillance network is not rendered safe by its capacity to “eventually” notice when it has been abused.
On September 1st, Commissioner Ann Taylor stated with the county commission that the sheriff’s office would comply with the state directive, adding that it appeared the cameras would be “coming down in our county as well.” The statement circulated widely and was received, understandably, as a resolution, and thousands in our county celebrated. However, representatives and public statements later characterized the same message more narrowly, and at a budget hearing on September 15th, Sheriff Hardwick confirmed that the county/road network was not part of the offer for removal.
The sheriff’s office’s responses have, however, continued to justify its position. Sheriff Hardwick points to citations of instances of aid, in which these Flock Cameras have allowed the department to apprehend targets. Hardwick later told Jax Today in an interview that “If you’re not committing, you know, violent crimes, and you’re not wanted by federal, state or local government for a crime, then there’s nothing to hide.” While such a generalization of intention may be met with some criticism from the traditional citizen, he maintains the county employs these devices strictly for necessary reasons. Hardwick did participate in his occupation for years without these devices, but that might be beside the point. He later addressed the hotly debated topic of budget allocation in an email to the county commission, and according to Jacksonville Today, stated that “the county budgeted a total of $908,000 for the cameras in the 2026 fiscal year but spent only $481,000. The remaining cost was covered by grants”.
This is no longer a dispute about one company or one county. It is a question of whether an unconstitutional record of residents’ movements is compatible with a constitutional relationship between citizens and the state that monitors them. The sheriff’s office has made real reforms under pressure. I would argue every concession from them is in and of itself an admission that the prior arrangement was not defensible by constitutional means. But policy adjustments made unilaterally can be unmade unilaterally. As a member of Deflock’s team myself, I’ve seen the progress we’ve already made. On behalf of Deflock St. Johns, founder and a primary advocate for the cause Riley Willis states in an interview that “as an organization representative of a very diverse group of people, we have one goal in mind: a better future for our community; one free of intrusive, AI-powered mass surveillance”. Commissioners have agreed to spend two weeks reviewing legal options, including the county’s authority over right of way permits, with that window closing near the end of September.
Beyond the two weeks, the effort will continue building on the thousands of residents who have already joined it, organizing turnout for the commission’s future sessions, and pursuing formal public records requests on the county’s original authorization of these installations. Through social media pages that have already garnered thousands of supporters, Deflock is promoting a rally on October 17th at the St. Augustine Pier. This event is expecting a large turnout of support as our community continues to make it clear through action that compromised rights will not be given up lightly. The state has already decided that the tracking of ordinary residents is unacceptable on its highways, and there is no principled basis for it becoming acceptable in our home instead.
Opinion pieces reflect the views of the individual writer and not necessarily those of The Vertical staff, Nease High School, its administrators, or the St. Johns County School District. The Vertical welcomes readers to respond by emailing [email protected].
Sources:
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