TPD to remove 17 license plate readers after FDOT revokes permits
FDOT revoked general use permits for license plate readers in state rights-of-way, citing ‘concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes.’ TPD’s release commits to full compliance — and never mentions the vendor’s name.
The Tampa Police Department announced Tuesday they will remove 17 automated license plate readers from roads on the State Highway System within 30 days after the Florida Department of Transportation revoked the general use permits that allowed the cameras in state rights-of-way.
The FDOT memorandum, issued Monday, applies statewide and cites an “exponential increase in deployments coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns and surveillance schemes.” Agencies have until September 30 to comply; FDOT says it will remove any devices left standing after that.
TPD says it will comply fully. “ALPRs are an important investigative tool and have assisted in solving homicide and robbery cases as well as in locating missing people in our community,” Acting Chief Brett Owen said in the release. The department credits the cameras with 622 arrests, 485 recovered vehicles, 68 recovered firearms, and 14 located missing persons since 2021.
One word missing in the release is Flock. The plate readers on city streets come from Flock Group, Inc. under a master services agreement that council approved in December 2023, followed by a $119,800 hardware order in December 2024 and a $43,450 replacement order last September. That last vote came after what Council Member Lynn Hurtak described as “a lot of e-mails” from constituents, amid reporting that Flock had shared camera data with federal immigration authorities. Council members said then-Chief Lee Bercaw assured them TPD shares data only with agencies that have an open case, and approved the purchase unanimously.
Council’s patience with the vendor has thinned since. When the RedSpeed school-zone speed camera contract came forward in February — a vendor that touted its “exclusive” Flock integration in its Hillsborough County proposal — Hurtak said she was “having a very hard time approving anything that has to do with Flock in our city.” Council ultimately required RedSpeed to sign an affidavit that no data would be shared with Flock and directed staff to report on vendors with no Flock ties. At last month’s budget workshop, Hurtak flagged the department’s next technology partner too: “You want to be careful of Axon. They are taking over for Flock.”
FDOT’s order reaches only state rights-of-way. The release doesn’t say how many ALPRs TPD operates in total, or what happens to the 17 cameras once they come down. The Flock contract would carry on either way. The department says it “will continue to evaluate new technologies.” The next one is already on the calendar, an Axon visit later this year to plan the growth of TPD’s drone program.
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