Broward backlash grows over Flock cameras
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
South Florida residents across the political spectrum are growing increasingly wary of license plate readers made by Flock and similar companies.
Why it matters: The cameras, which are active throughout Broward County, have fueled privacy concerns and fears of police misuse.
How it works: Flock and other automated license plate reader cameras are typically a black rectangular box placed on a pole near roads, intersections or parking areas.
- The cameras use AI to scan and store information like license plate numbers, vehicle models, colors, car makes, scratches, dents and bumper stickers.
The big picture: Flock has over 120,000 cameras across the country, the company tells Axios.
- Advocates say the cameras help quickly track down criminals and make cities safer, but opponents say they're a form of constant surveillance that infringes on residents' civil liberties.
- Broward has more than 800 cameras, according to DeFlock, a national organization that tracks and advocates against Flock.
Friction point: As backlash grows, some are calling on their city officials to end their contracts with Flock and other similar camera companies. Others are even vandalizing them.
- In July, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department found two Flock cameras in the Croissant Park neighborhood cut down, "melted and slashed."
- Protesters are planning a "Stand Up for Privacy" rally across from a camera at a Davie intersection to protest the Dave Police Department's use of the controversial technology.
Case in point: A post on the local r/Broward subreddit with a photo of a bus light pole sparked debate about whether it was a camera, underscoring residents' fears.
- "This is a solar panel box with a sensor," a comment reads. "It’s used by Broward County Transit to provide real-time updates of bus arrivals and departures."
- Others urged people not to attack the light.
Zoom in: Some police officers have been investigated over allegations they misused license plate reader data for personal reasons.
- A Haines City Police officer was arrested earlier this month for allegedly searching his estranged wife's car 717 times in the Flock database between September 2024 and this past June.
- Last week, a Sarasota Police officer was fired after the department discovered he misused Flock technology, making 335 searches for a specific vehicle between May and July 2025.
What's happening: Mistrust and upheaval is leading communities nationwide to abandon Flock.
- The Sumter County Sheriff's Office suspended its Flock program after a detective was arrested for using the Flock database to get information on her husband's ex-wife.
- The agency is now conducting an audit of its systems and databases.
- Palm Bay officials in Brevard County temporarily suspended its Flock cameras over permitting and installation issues, not for privacy concerns.
The latest: Flock has announced that it's improving its privacy, security and accountability features.
- It's making misuse detection mandatory for all customers, and cutting default data retention settings to one week from 30 days in some places.