The differing outcomes came a day apart.
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Elected officials in St. Petersburg and Tallahassee both took up the issue of Flock cameras this week with varying results.
On Thursday, the St. Pete City Council approved an item requested by Council Member Richie Floyd to refer the city’s Flock contract to the Public Services and Infrastructure Committee for review.
That came a day after Tallahassee mayoral candidate and City Commissioner Jeremy Matlow motioned to ban and remove the controversial cameras. His motion was rejected 3-2, following the same moderate-progressive divide that has repeatedly split the Commission on local hot-button issues.
St. Pete has 54 active cameras, while there are 116 cameras set up across Leon County.
In both cases, the pushback to Flock was led by more progressive officials. Floyd is backed by the Democratic Socialists of America, while Matlow has embraced New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani in interviews.
Across the state and nationally, opposition to Flock has been bipartisan but seems to be loudest among progressive Democrats and conservative Republicans. At Tallahassee’s commission meeting, Matlow pointed to statements by both U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and Gov. Ron DeSantis signaling their support for reforming use of the cameras.
In both cities, law enforcement has argued automated license plate reader (LPR) technology is a useful tool for solving crimes. St. Pete Police Chief Anthony Holloway has defended his city’s use of the cameras, while Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell called them “an incredible tool that allows us to keep this community much, much safer than we’ve ever been able to before.”
Though St. Pete’s move to scrutinize its LPRs is a win for “de-Flock” activists, it is not yet clear whether the review will actually lead to the cameras being removed.
Meanwhile, even as Tallahassee Commissioners voted to keep Flock in place, they did agree to hold a public forum on the issue in the future. The Tallahassee Police Department has also rolled out a Flock camera portal where residents can access information about how the technology is being used, which the agency says promotes transparency.
Several other Florida counties and municipalities have taken up the LPR issue or are planning to shortly. Walton County commissioners voted unanimously Tuesday to remove their county’s cameras, while Jacksonville City Councilman Jimmy Peluso is preparing to introduce a 120-day moratorium on his city’s LPRs.
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