Town of Fort Myers Beach Manager to request Town Council discontinue contract with Flock Safety for license plate readers

Fort Myers Beach Manager Will McKannay will request that the Town of Fort Myers Beach Council end its contract with Flock Safety for its license plate reader cameras. The Town of Fort Myers Beach Council approved the license plate reader cameras initially in 2022, and in 2023 a five-year contract with the company was approved at $15,000 per year for the cameras. There are two cameras located on the Matanzas Pass Bridge and two cameras on Big Carlos Pass Bridge.

“I am not comfortable with the current contract structure, under which we pay only for camera installation but have no role in operating or monitoring them, and no oversight of those who do,” McKannay told the Fort Myers Beach Observer today.

The Lee County Sheriff’s Office has access to the license plate readers on Fort Myers Beach through an agreement with Flock Safety. McKannay said the Town of Fort Myers Beach doesn’t have a separate contract with the Lee County Sheriff’s Office regarding the Flock Safety cameras and license plate readers that he knows about.

“Lee County Sheriff’s Office (LCSO) monitors the license plate readers, and while we have a strong relationship with them and no specific concerns about their trustworthiness or compliance practices regarding the cameras, we currently have no formal agreements in place with LCSO to protect the town’s interests,” McKannay said.

McKannay didn’t rule out using the license plate readers in the future if an agreement could be reached. “If such agreements are established in the future, I may recommend reinstating the license plate readers at that time,” McKannay said.

Asked to comment on McKannay’s decision, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno issued a statement the office said applies to all concerns regarding license plate reader technology. “There is no doubt that technology can be a double edged sword. While it has helped us in major investigations and locating missing persons, we must understand the general public’s fear of misuse,” Marceno said in the prepared statement.

“We will comply with the orders by our State partners while the legislature straightens the rules and regulations regarding the use of certain technologies. Our hope is that they move quickly as to not jeopardize public safety.”

Flock Safety license plate reader cameras have become controversial statewide and nationwide, with a number of police departments recently throughout Florida announcing they will end their contract with Flock Safety, citing privacy concerns that have been raised by the public. Their use has grown in recent years and expanded.

Yesterday, the Cape Coral Police Department announced they will end their contract with Flock Safety for cameras and license plate readers.

Governor Ron DeSantis recently announced concern about their use as well and called for “an overhaul” of how license plate readers are allowed to be used. At a press conference recently, DeSantis called license plate readers “out of control.” DeSantis cited a recent cases where a police officer was alleged to have used license plate readers to track an ex-girlfriend. “What the hell is going on here?” he said.

DeSantis said he has asked for an overview of how state agencies are using license plate readers, though he said the license plate readers are being used on a larger scale by local police agencies.

“I don’t want to have this become a surveillance state,” DeSantis said. “At one point are we just going to be free to not deal with any of that?”

DeSantis said when he became governor, license plate readers were being used on state highways for tolls. He supported tools for law enforcement to catch criminals, though he said he also doesn’t support using cameras to issue automatic tickets for speeding.

“I think this has happened very quickly. I think people are right to be concerned,” DeSantis said. “I think you have to have protections for people.”

On Monday, the Florida Department of Transportation announced they were revoking all right-of-way permits on state road property for local police agencies to use license plate readers. In the order from the State Department of Transportation, Chief Operating Officer Will Watts cited the reports of misuse of information from license plate readers, as well as “data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes” as among the reasons for the order discontinuing any state access for the license plate readers.

The order calls for all license plate readers on state-maintained roads and right-of-ways, to be removed within 30 days.

The license plate reader cameras on Fort Myers Beach document and store data from the license plate readers, which are gathered from any vehicle that passes over the two bridges that access Fort Myers Beach.

Asked whether the Lee County Sheriff’s Office would be removing license plate readers on Matanzas Pass Bridge, a state bridge, in response to the directive from the Florida Department of Transportation Lee County Sheriff’s Office Commander Anita Iriarte

The Town of Fort Myers Beach initially approved license plate reader cameras in 2022. The town also approved a five-year contract extension with Flock Safety for the license plate cameras at $15,000 a year for a total of $75,000.

Fort Myers Beach Mayor Dan Allers could not be reached for comment.