OKALOOSA COUNTY, Fla., Aug. 31, 2026—The Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office will begin removing and suspending its automated license plate recognition camera program following an engineering and operations memorandum issued today by the Florida Department of Transportation.

The memorandum, signed by FDOT Chief Operating Officer Will Watts, revokes all general use permits previously granted to local law enforcement agencies for LPR placement within state road rights-of-way, citing concerns over rapid deployment growth, data privacy and surveillance.

Agencies have 30 days to remove affected devices or FDOT will remove them directly.

“From the very start of this discussion, I said that if a judge ruled these cameras are unconstitutional, or the governor determined they violated the law, we would certainly comply,” said OCSO Sheriff Eric Aden. “Though LPR technology has not been ruled unconstitutional, the FDOT memorandum eliminates our ability to use them.”

Although the majority of OCSO’s Flock cameras sit on state rights-of-way, Aden said the agency will also begin removing its remaining devices on county rights-of-way as well.

OCSO will formally notify Flock Safety, its LPR vendor, and begin working through contract timelines for equipment removal.

The agency does not rule out future use of LPR technology but says it will wait for clearer legal guidance on constitutionality before revisiting the program.

“This is disappointing from a public safety standpoint,” he said. “It’s been a valuable tool in solving crime and protecting lives.”

OCSO news release