ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — St. Johns County commissioners voted 3-2 to remove automated license plate readers, including Flock cameras, from county rights-of-way after residents spoke both for and against their use.
The decision does not apply to privately operated readers, such as those used by homeowners associations.
Several weeks earlier, the Florida Department of Transportation issued a memo ordering license plate readers removed from state rights-of-way. The county still had authority over those on county rights-of-way.
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Before the vote, commissioners debated the issue. Commissioner Sarah Arnold said she did not want to take away a tool that could help law enforcement keep residents safe, but said the technology appeared to have outpaced the safeguards. Commissioner Krista Joseph said cell phones are “more insidious” than Flock cameras and called removing the cameras “radical,” adding that “the toothpaste is out of the tube.”
Commissioner Christian Whitehurst introduced the motion before commissioners broke for lunch, saying he did not expect it to pass.
Among those who spoke in support of the cameras was the family of Tristyn Bailey, the St. Johns County teenager killed by her classmate in 2021.
“On the day my daughter was missing and we were trying to understand how could she just be brought home, that was the first day I ever learned about license plate readers,” one of Bailey’s parents said.
The parent said knowing law enforcement had that tool available offered hope that Bailey could be found if she was with someone.
Other speakers raised privacy concerns and urged commissioners to remove the cameras.
“You were all elected to represent your constituents and your constituents have been very clear we want all ALPR’s removed from all county rights-of-way,” one speaker said.
The St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office released the following statement regarding the vote:
“I continue to stand by my support of LPR technology. As Sheriff, I am responsible for the safety of our community with the best interest of our citizens at heart. I believe the decision made at the county commission meeting encroaches on my ability to keep our community safe. Throughout this process, the victims of crime have been lost in the conversation - the families who have lost loved ones, the children who have been harmed, the individuals desperately searching for a missing loved one, and the countless victims who depend on us to identify those responsible and hold them accountable. They are real people, our neighbors, who we aim to protect. LPR technology is effective and we will continue working to bring it back to St. Johns County,” Sheriff Robert A. Hardwick said.
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