County Commissioners vote to revoke permits for Flock cameras along county rights of way

St. Johns County Commissioners have voted 3-2 to revoke permits for Flock and other automated license plate reader cameras along county rights of way.

The vote came after roughly two hours of public comment gathered during a discussion on ALPRs, which was placed on the agenda for Tuesday's county commission meeting at the request of Commissioner Christian Whitehurst.

Amid rising scrutiny and backlash against Flock cameras, the Florida Department of Transportation issued a directive on Aug. 31 ordering ALPRs located on state rights of way to be taken down within 30 days. The order came at the direction of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who remarked that the cameras were "out of control."

The St. Johns County Sheriff's Office (SJSO) confirmed it is in compliance with the FDOT directive, but declined to comment on how many cameras are still active along county rights of way, which FDOT does not oversee.

Dozens of residents weighed in at Tuesday's meeting, with most opposed to Flock cameras on county roads. That included some speakers who said they had military or law enforcement backgrounds.

One resident asked why SJSO requested more deputies and funding in this year's budget if ALPR technology was supposed to make police work easier. Others read from the Fourth Amendment, or highlighted fears that foreign adversaries would hack data being collected on Americans and use it to undermine U.S. national security.

When it was Whitehurst's turn to speak, he stressed that he is pro-law enforcement and had "faith" in SJSO, but argued the agency was "out of alignment" with the state and most other sheriff's offices in Northeast Florida. He pointed to news stories he had seen about law enforcement officers abusing the technology.

"The news stories are demanding we confront this issue," said Whitehurst, who also sought to downplay the ideological divide between opponents of Flock cameras and defenders of the technology. "This is not a pro-law endorsement vs. anti-law enforcement issue."

His concerns were echoed by Commissioner Sarah Arnold and Commissioner Ann Taylor, who asked SJSO Criminal Investigations Division Director Skip Cole about whether the agency had any cameras with facial recognition technology.

"Not that I am aware of," Cole replied.

However, Commissioner Krista Joseph pushed back on her colleagues, arguing ALPRs kept the community safe from drug traffickers and other criminals.

"The cartels are loving this. They can immediately go up I-95 all the way into our country with drugs and children," said Joseph. "This is radical."

Whitehurst, who has frequently clashed with Joseph on the dais, took issue with her remarks.

“So you believe the Governor is radical?” asked Whitehurst, pointing to Gov. Ron DeSantis, Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters and other officials who had backtracked on ALPR cameras.

Clay Murphy, a former law enforcement officer, defended Joseph and defended the use of ALPRs. He presented the cameras as simply the latest technological advancement in the tools law enforcement has at its disposal to prevent and solve crimes.

Murphy attempted to move the meeting into a lunch recess, but Whitehurst insisted commissioners vote on the issue. He moved to temporarily revoke the permits allowing ALPR cameras to be placed on county rights of way, which was seconded by Arnold.

Taylor voted in favor of Whitehurst's motion, which passed 3-2 with Joseph and Murphy voting against. Before recessing the meeting for lunch, Murphy stated the board would meet at a later point to implement the decision it had just made.