Pembroke Pines has turned off all of its license plate cameras. The Sun Sentinel reported that the decision came after a new state order from the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) to remove the cameras from state roads.
Why did Pembroke Pines turn off its cameras?
The FDOT order requires removal of license plate reading cameras on state roads, regardless of brand. Local police have 30 days to remove them, or the state will do it for them. The Sun Sentinel reports that Flock cameras are at the center of the controversy.
Police Chief Jose Vargas made the decision to shut down the cameras, after Mayor Angelo Castillo urged it. Commissioners praised the decision at their regular meeting.
The Sun Sentinel also reports that Gov. Ron DeSantis said at a news conference that Flock cameras are out of control. The News Service of Florida reported that DeSantis approved more than $4 million in requests from local agencies for license plate readers in the last year, for use in illegal immigration enforcement. The Institute for Justice has documented more than 100 instances of abuse of license plate readers, according to the Sun Sentinel.
How many cameras does Pembroke Pines have?
- 106 license plate cameras, including Flock and Motorola Solutions products, are installed in the city.
- 28 must be removed because of the FDOT order, according to Patrol Division Capt. Jason Palant.
- The rest stay in place but are turned off.
Palant said the department's user accounts have been deactivated and it cannot access data retained in the system. He wrote: "We are no longer receiving or obtaining data from any of our [license-plate readers]."
What does it cost the city?
The Sun Sentinel reports that a single Flock camera costs the city $2,500. The city's contract total is more than $340,000, according to an undated order form attached to Thursday's meeting agenda.
Commissioner Jay Schwartz said turning the cameras off does not necessarily remove the financial component. "The taxpayers will still have to continue to pay," he told the Sun Sentinel. Castillo said the financial implications and whether the city will terminate its contracts remain unclear.
What changes for drivers in Pembroke Pines?
The city has turned off the cameras, and the police department is no longer receiving data from them. The 28 cameras on state roads are being removed. The Sun Sentinel does not say what happens to that equipment, or how long the cameras will be offline. The camera map shows where cameras are mapped.
Mayor Castillo is concerned that the FDOT order changes nothing for license plate cameras on Florida's Turnpike. The Sun Sentinel reports that Coconut Creek and Coral Springs police are not affected, because their cameras are not on state roads.
What happens next?
Commissioners asked the city administration and city attorney to review the city's legal and contractual obligations with Flock. They also asked for a legal memo for elected officials. The Sun Sentinel does not say when that memo is due.