Mystery Flock cameras discovered in Florida without permits, leaving locals feeling ‘very unsafe’
Eleven mystery Flock cameras were uncovered in a Florida county without permits or publicly known owners — raising concerns over who or what is watching from above, according to a report.
The unnerving discovery was made in St. Lucie County after the county opted to remove the high-tech, controversial Flock surveillance cameras used to monitor traffic and track drivers, the Washington Post reported.
County officials initially thought only 52 cameras were operating in their area, but a sweep uncovered 14 unpermitted devices in operation.
The county sheriff’s office claimed three as their own, leaving 11 rogue cameras unaccounted for — leaving locals in the dark about who actually controls the sensitive data being collected.
“I’m not happy about it unless I know who it is,” 70-year-old resident Todd Richter told the outlet, adding “and I don’t.”
It was not immediately clear why the sheriff’s office did not request permits for the cameras.
Representatives of the county told the Washington Post that they placed notices on the unidentified units and gave owners from Oct. 16 to Oct. 20 to remove them, depending on when the notice was posted.
If no one claims the cameras, county workers plan to wrap plastic bags over their lenses.
A Flock spokesperson told WaPo that while they often handle permits “where required, but permitting requirements vary by jurisdiction and are not necessary in every location.”
Flock said it reached out to St. Lucie County officials and is “happy to work with them directly to review the cameras in question and address any discrepancies,” the company added in an email.
County officials haven’t said whether they’ll take Flock up on the offer.
Ty Grant, 28, lives a few hundred feet from a Flock camera in Fort Pierce.
When the newspaper informed Grant that it is not known who installed the camera, he became frightened.
“That makes me feel very unsafe,” Grant said.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis directed the Florida Department of Transportation to revoke existing permits for automated license-plate scanning systems, including products developed by Flock after public outcry regarding privacy.
The controversial AI-powered cameras, and others like them, have been used nationwide — including in the tristate.
Nassau County drivers pass a Flock Safety camera roughly every 9.5 miles, making local residents among the most closely tracked in the nation, according to a Post analysis of independent data.
The suburban county now boasts over 330 Flock Safety cameras mapped across 3,200 miles of road — placing Nassau in the top 100 U.S. counties for camera density, according to data from DeFlock, an activist group tracking the company’s expansion.
That ranks Nassau residents in the top 3% of America’s most closely watched drivers.
More than half a dozen Connecticut towns — including Vernon, Bridgeport, Danbury, Shelton, Stratford, North Haven, and New Haven — signed contracts with BusPatrol to mount license-plate-reading cameras on school bus fleets to catch drivers blowing past flashing red lights.
Company technicians log the violations and hand the footage over to local cops.
Unlike Flock’s round-the-clock surveillance net, BusPatrol’s cameras don’t constantly monitor the roads.
Figures in major corporations and the federal government have warned the public about the proliferation of Flock cameras, noting that oversaturated surveillance can degrade public privacy.
On Fox News’ “Saturday in America” Pentagon AI police director Mark Beall warned that Flock cameras and other similar tools could turn communities into a “China-like surveillance state.”
“We have to be careful that we don’t go too far to the other direction and create a China-like surveillance state, which is literally what AI capabilities will ultimately enable and are enabling right now,” Beall said.
Flock and representatives for St. Lucie County and its sheriff’s office did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for clarification or comment.
