Government

Boca Raton to Remove 26 License Plate Reader Cameras Following State Directive

by
Daniel Nee
September 1, 2026

Automatic license plate readers in Boca Raton, FL, Sept. 1, 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Boca Raton officials said they will remove 26 automated license plate reader cameras mounted in town by the end of the month in order to comply with a new state directive that prohibits the devices on state roadways.

Boca Raton Police Department spokeswoman Officer Jessica Desir said the 26 cameras that will be removed are located on state roadways. On Monday, the Florida Department of Transportation ordered that all automated license plate reader cameras placed along state roadways or in state-owned rights of way beside the roadways must be removed by Sept. 30.

In Boca Raton, roadways under state jurisdiction – not including I-95 or Florida’s Turnpike – include Federal Highway, A1A, Glades Road (SR-808), Yamato Road east of Military Trail, and a short portion of Spanish River Boulevard between Federal Highway and A1A. In unincorporated Boca Raton, state roads include US-441 (SR-7) and Powerline Road from the Broward County line north to Glades Road.

Automatic license plate readers in Boca Raton, FL, Sept. 1, 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

Desir said the Boca Raton Police Department operates a total of 262 license plate reader cameras, though the vast majority are attached to police vehicles and are not mounted along roadways. While the license plate reading devices have often been known as “Flock” cameras due to the prevalence of those made by the popular manufacturer, numerous companies provide them to local and county governments. In Boca Raton, public mapping data shows a number of cameras – some traced to Flock and some to Axis Communications. For example, a plate reader at the intersection of Spanish River Boulevard and A1A is a Flock branded camera, while a similar device at the corner of Palmetto Park Road and Federal Highway is provided by Axis. Not all license plate readers are placed by governmental entities, however, with some being deployed by homeowners associations and private businesses.

The FDOT memorandum does not direct local or county governments to remove the plate readers from municipal or county roads. The document acknowledges such devices have been permitted in the past on state roadways and rights-of-way, but are being phased out due to their proliferation in recent years.

Automatic license plate readers in Boca Raton, FL, Sept. 1, 2026. (Photo: Boca Daily News)

“While Florida law limits the issuance of permits for LPR systems to law enforcement agencies, the recent exponential increase in deployments along our roadways, coupled with concerning reports of misuse, data privacy concerns, and surveillance schemes merit immediate action to preserve Floridians’ sovereignty and quality of life,” it stated.

The memorandum further stated that all permits for LPRs were considered temporary under state law, and FDOT is simply ending the temporary permits that allowed them to operate. The agency will no longer issue any new permits.

“As of the date of this memorandum, the department will use its discretionary authority to cease the issuance of all future requests for LPR systems within its jurisdictional authority,” it said.