Flock Outta Florida

Florida’s Rapid ALPR Deployment

COVID 2020: Tech Kingmakers, a Racial Justice Reckoning, & Initial ALPR Deployments in Florida

  Financial research for Flock, Axon, and Motorola Solutions (page publication coming soon), shows significant growth in ALPR technology occurred due to continued capital investments and rapid deployment of new "technological advances." However, for reasons we cannot yet totally pinpoint, Flock ALPRs growth and deployment outpaced both Axon (a company with longstanding ties to law enforcement "solutions" and Motorola, a company that’s been creating and deploying various technologies since 1928 [Motorola Solutions, Inc. dropped Motorola Mobile in 2011, splitting the original 1928 company in two].)

  Our best guess? The $15.9 million of Series B funding raised in April 06, 2020, and the $47 million Series C funding raised on November 2, 2020 gave Flock a serious tech kingmaker boost over the competition at the time, fostering rapid growth to build and deploy their cameras. While Flock is raising the big bucks during COVID, a nationwide racial reckoning resulting from the murder of George Floyd provided LEO and government officials a new opportunity to clutch their pearls and push for additional mass surveillance under the guise of "safety" and the need for "continued law and order."

  While the "Free State of Florida" encouraged the mask-less masses in 2020 and welcomed homed the failed insurrectionists of January 6, 2021, it's clear something was going on behind the scenes in the surveillance lobbying space, because the rapid Flock expansion and deployment in Florida is certainly noteworthy (more on that below). In September 2019, GovTech.com reported 14 Tampa Bay communities had deployed Flock cameras to the entrance and exits of their neighborhoods, and "No Tampa Bay law enforcement agencies currently contract with Flock. Of the 100 law enforcement agencies Flock partners with around the country, just one — in Florida City (Hillsborough County) — is in the state. Flock is, however, looking to expand outward through Florida."

  ⯈⯈⯈ Flock Expansion Continues in Polk County, Florida (because of course)

  On February 16, 2021, the Polk County Sheriff’s Office (PCSO) quietly signed a 5 YEAR contract with Flock Group Inc. (Per The Lakeland Ledger), making PCSO one of the first large-scale sheriff's offices/law enforcement agencies in the state to sign our away our privacy.

  Despite his agency signing off PCSO's first round of Flock surveillance cameras mere months earlier, Sheriff Grady Judd then took to the podium at the July 2021 Polk County Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) meeting to present his proposed budget for the next fiscal year. When the BoCC asked if Sheriff Judd's deputies want body cameras as part of the upcoming annual budget proposal, he denies the need for body cameras because, "Nothing is more important to me than our individual privacy rights. The government does not have the right to hang a body camera on a government agent and walk us into your home because you're a victim. We don't have a right to do that." (Per The Lakeland Ledger)

  So...let's get this straight. PCSO signs a contract with Flock Safety, Inc. (a private third-party company) to lease (with annual recurring costs) ALPR cameras and agrees within the terms of that contract to allow Flock the ability to maintain photographic records of your movements for 30-days (PCSO may retain records for up to 90 days). But these same ALPRs take 6-12 photographs of your cars license plate every time you pass them...shares that information with Flock (A PRIVATE COMPANY)... and creates a pattern of verifiable movements across the county which LEO can search without a warrant at any time... but Sheriff Judd is "pro-privacy"?

  Privacy for whom, sir? Because it sure seems like a mass database of people's movements with no means of transparency or meaningful safeguards against abuse being held exclusively in the hands of LEO could--just spit-balling here--lead to the perpetuation of continued abuse against the poor and people of color... or provide LEO no shortage of opportunities to warrantlessly collect information and intelligence on perceived political opponents, politicians, judges, activists, or anyone else they feel like tracking. There's already no shortage of instances of abuse. So, who exactly is watching the watchers in Florida?

  ⯈⯈⯈ 2021 to Now: ALRP Deployments are Out of Control

  After PCSO signed their first Flock contract in February 2021, several other sheriff's offices were quick to follow, including Indian River County Sheriff's Office in July 2021, and the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office in September 2021. The Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles signed a 6-year agreement with Flock in December of 2023, and larger cities like Tampa entered agreements with Flock specifically in 2024. The complete picture of city and county contracts with Flock, Axon, and other ALPRs is a continuous work in progress. To get some perspective of the sheer increase of ALPR deployments over time in Florida (and nationwide), take a look at DeFlock's ALPR heatmap over time. We also suggest Floridian's concerned about ALPRs and privacy check out HaveIBeenFlocked.com and look at the available data for their respective police departments and sheriff's office. The "Insights" tab provides a lot of potentially beneficial information including total searches and if there's a possibility of system abuse or reason to believe password sharing may have occurred due to around the clock search use.

  In fact, from September 2025 to June 2026, the State Board of Immigration in Florida, (SBIE) in consultation with the State Immigration Enforcement Council (Chaired by none other than PCSO's own Sheriff Grady Judd!) has approved an estimated $7.5 million for at least 710 ALPRs to be deployed to several county sheriff's offices and cities throughout the state. (A page devoted to this particular issue is in the works, don't worry!) The SBIE still has roughly $150 million it needs to spend before June 2027 (assuming, of course, that the legislature doesn't extend the funding again) so that leaves a lot of opportunity for continued investments in mass surveillance technology.

  ⯈⯈⯈ A Quick Note on Lobbyists...

  The most recent lobbying records for Flock Safety, Inc., list Ballard Partners (And Brian Ballard's wiki barely scratches the surface...Tallahassee locals, IYKYK) as their primary legislative and executive office lobbying firm in Florida. You can search Florida's lobbyist principals by ALPR company or county/city entity, HERE.

The Florida Sheriff’s Association & ALPRs

  For the unaware, the Florida Sheriffs Association hosts biannual conferences (Summer and Winter) where vendors pitch investigative platforms like automated tracking, data-sharing, and hotlist integrations to command staff. Did Flock or a representative of Flock, or a Flock lobbyist attend one of these conferences between 2019-2020? (Remember, the first Florida sheriff contract is signed by PCSO in early 2021.) We cannot say for certain. To date, a public agenda or any supplemental materials from the events remains to be seen.

  But, in a surprise to literally no one, as of 2026, Flock AND Axon are both Diamond Sponsors for the Florida Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference! And according to the 2025 Annual Partnership Package, that means both Flock and Axon pay at least $35,000 for the exclusive opportunity to sell our sheriff’s MORE ALPRs and mass surveillance technology! (Don’t worry, if they scrub these webpages, we've saved copies.)