OPINION The Sunshine State under Watch: How Florida Became One of America’s Most Aggressive Policing States
Florida’s expanding plate-reader network, broad information-sharing rules, predictive tools, biometric surveillance, and public mugshot portals have outpaced the safeguards meant to constrain police power.
On August 26, 2026, Gov. Ron DeSantis made a striking admission: automated license-plate readers, including cameras operated through Flock Safety, had become “out of control.” He still defended giving police effective investigative tools. But, he added, “I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state.” The warning was welcome—and late. As Reason observed the next day, Florida’s surveillance apparatus extends far beyond one company. State and local agencies have assembled license-plate readers, facial-recognition systems, drones, third-party investigative platforms, predictive-policing tools, and other technologies. Florida has also directed public money toward additional plate readers, biometric iris scanners, and AI-enabled mobile surveillance towers.
Discover more from Florida Action Committee (FAC)
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
https://youtu.be/dikwnGgN8Wo?is=64j2JP6nVGjaRZCP
Those cameras are in parks, on hiking trials and now bought by HOA to keep their residents in their mini prisons. The state claims we are not punished but look around and see where we have to live.
Residence of many of the HOA don’t know that they have to have their rules and fees registered with the county, many of the them are extortion scams.
We are in the Big Brother state like those old movies warned about in the 1950s.