A Flock Safety license plate reader in a neighborhood in Jessup, Md., on Aug. 26, 2026. Madalina Kilroy/The Epoch Times
As a Florida county works to remove all of its Flock Safety automated license-plate readers from local roads, officials discovered several cameras that were installed without their knowledge or approval.
The Washington Post first reported on Oct. 1 that after St. Lucie County decided to remove all of its Flock cameras—which have received scrutiny over police misuse and constitutional privacy concerns—officials found 14 mysterious cameras that were installed without permits.
The St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Office claimed three of the unpermitted cameras as their own, according to the Post’s report, but did not explain why they were installed without county approval and permits; other law enforcement agencies in the county did not take responsibility for the remaining cameras.
St. Lucie County spokesperson Erick Gill confirmed the Post’s reporting on the unpermitted cameras to The Epoch Times, but directed all questions about the Sheriff’s Office to its public information officer.
He said staff are still working to identify which agency installed the unpermitted cameras and have already spoken with Flock about the situation.
Gill added that county officials have posted removal notices on the cameras that give whoever installed them a deadline to take the cameras down. The removal dates are between Oct. 16 and Oct. 20, depending on the date the notice was posted.
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Once the deadline has passed, staff will begin removing the cameras or adding coverings so they cannot record video, Gill said.
Flock Safety and the Sheriff’s Office did not respond to requests for comment by publication time.
Law experts have also warned the technology likely violates the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, due to its indexed and queryable record of citizens’ movements created from 24-7 video and audio surveillance.
In August, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered the removal of all Flock cameras from state roads, giving a 30-day deadline.
The move prompted some law enforcement agencies in the state to end their relationships with Flock altogether, but others have said they will only remove the cameras from state roads to comply with the governor’s order.
St. Lucie County is not the first jurisdiction to discover mysterious Flock cameras that were installed without authorization or permitting. Officials in Utah and Massachusetts have also found unauthorized cameras on public property.
