St. Lucie County finds 14 unpermitted Flock cameras, raises privacy concerns

St. Lucie County officials announced on Oct. 2 that 14 automated license‑plate‑reader cameras from Flock Safety were operating in the county without the required permits.

The finding raises serious privacy and public‑safety concerns because the cameras capture every passing vehicle’s license plate, make, model and other identifying details, yet the county does not know who controls the data.

County officials had long believed that 52 Flock cameras were authorized under a contract with the company. A sweep of the roadway network beginning around Sept. 18 revealed an additional 14 devices, three of which the sheriff’s office identified as county‑owned, leaving 11 cameras with unknown owners.

“Not knowing who they belong to, I think, is another issue,” County Commissioner James Clasby said.

Residents expressed alarm after the report. Todd Richter, 70, told reporters, “I’m not happy about it unless I know who it is, and I don’t.” Ty Grant, 28, who lives a few hundred feet from one of the units, added, “That makes me feel very unsafe.”

Interim county administrator Mayte Santamaria said the county posted bright‑red notices giving owners a four‑day window to remove the cameras. If the devices are not claimed, county workers plan to wrap plastic bags over the lenses to render them inoperable.

The Florida Department of Transportation issued a directive last month ordering local agencies to remove all automated license‑plate‑scanning systems from state highways within 30 days, prompting the county’s expedited action.

Flock Safety responded that it “handles permits where required, but permitting requirements vary by jurisdiction and are not necessary in every location,” and said it was “happy to work directly with St. Lucie County to review the cameras in question and address any discrepancies.”

The controversy follows a recent case in which a former Fort Pierce police officer used Flock’s database to track his ex‑girlfriend’s car hundreds of times, leading to felony charges. That incident has intensified scrutiny of the technology statewide.

If no owners step forward, county employees will bag the remaining 11 cameras, and the DOT deadline will force the removal of all unpermitted units within the next month.