Florida, Man!

Fock surveillance has become so toxic that Florida Governor Ron DeSantis was forced to ban the cameras from state roads.

The fact that hizonner found the stalker company too toxic to support, despite the opportunity of lucrative bribes from Flock says something.

Florida ordered Flock cameras and similar license-plate readers off state roads late Monday and by Tuesday law enforcement agencies in Osceola, Lake and Seminole counties had begun dismantling networks of the high-tech devices in their jurisdictions.

The cameras, most often manufactured by Flock Safety but also by numerous other companies, had become ubiquitous on Florida streets and, officials have argued, one of law enforcement’s most valuable tools.

But citing instances of misuse and fears of creating a surveillance state, the administration of Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday kicked off the “De-Flocking” of Florida.

“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,” the Monday memo from the Florida Department of Transportation states.

By Tuesday evening, Lake County Commissioners voted to remove license plate readers from their streets, and sheriffs in Seminole and Volusia counties said they’d pause their use, too. In Seminole, officials in Altamonte Springs, Casselberry, Lake Mary, Oviedo, Sanford, Winter Springs, and in Lake, those in Clermont and Groveland agreed to stop using them as well. In Osceola, the sheriff’s office and St. Cloud’s police department both said they’d pause using them.

When a company is so unpopular that Republicans are forced to refuse bribes, it's game over.