SIGNAL·DATA Preview
License-plate readers · St. Lucie County

St. Lucie County

Using license-plate readers · 2 agencies documented

← Statewide map
Alachua CountyBaker CountyBay CountyBradford CountyBrevard CountyBroward CountyCalhoun CountyCharlotte CountyCitrus CountyClay CountyCollier CountyColumbia CountyDeSoto CountyDixie CountyDuval CountyEscambia CountyFlagler CountyFranklin CountyGadsden CountyGilchrist CountyGlades CountyGulf CountyHamilton CountyHardee CountyHendry CountyHernando CountyHighlands CountyHillsborough CountyHolmes CountyIndian River CountyJackson CountyJefferson CountyLafayette CountyLake CountyLee CountyLeon CountyLevy CountyLiberty CountyMadison CountyManatee CountyMarion CountyMartin CountyMiami-Dade CountyMonroe CountyNassau CountyOkaloosa CountyOkeechobee CountyOrange CountyOsceola CountyPalm Beach CountyPasco CountyPinellas CountyPolk CountyPutnam CountySanta Rosa CountySarasota CountySeminole CountySt. Johns CountySt. Lucie CountySumter CountySuwannee CountyTaylor CountyUnion CountyVolusia CountyWakulla CountyWalton CountyWashington County

St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office

Status
Using license-plate readers
Vendors
Vendor not named in source
  1. Sept. 1, 2026 Sheriff Richard Del Toro said the office will comply with the FDOT directive and limit license-plate reader use to investigations involving forcible felonies and missing or endangered persons, with prior approval: "Every search should have a legitimate public safety purpose, a defined approval process, and appropriate accountability." (WFLX / WPTV, Sept. 1, 2026; CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 2, 2026; WQCS, Sept. 3, 2026)
  2. Sept. 1, 2026 St. Lucie County Commission voted 3-2 to stop issuing permits for Flock and other ALPRs on county-owned or county-controlled property and to pursue removal of existing ones. Yes: James Clasby (motion), Erin Lowry (second), Larry Leet. No: Chair Jamie Fowler, Cathy Townsend. (Hometown News, Sept. 8, 2026; CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 2, 2026; WQCS, Sept. 3, 2026; CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 16, 2026)
  3. Sept. 16, 2026 County reported 66 known Flock cameras on county property: revocation notices sent for 52 previously authorized devices (30 days to remove), and at least 14 unpermitted cameras with no identified owner (up from 3 in a Sept. 10 agenda report). The county shared its inventory with the sheriff's office, Fort Pierce PD and Port St. Lucie PD; sources do not say which agency owns which cameras. (CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 16, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Spelling conflict: CBS12 lists a commissioner 'Lee' and 'Cathy Townsend'; WQCS spells 'Kathy Townsend' and 'Larry Leet'; Hometown News spells 'Cathy Townsend' and 'Larry Leet'. WQCS does not state each vote explicitly. No source opened gives the sheriff's camera count or vendor.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Port St. Lucie Police Department

Status
Removing or limiting cameras
Vendors
Flock Safety, Axon
Cameras
18
Flock cameras set for removal by Sept. 30: 9 in county rights-of-way, 9 in state rights-of-way (police chief's white paper, per CBS12). Total citywide count not reported.
  1. Sept. 1, 2026 Department announced an "operational pause" on its Flock and Axon license-plate reader systems and removal of seven cameras in FDOT rights-of-way. Chief Leo Niemczyk: "We are committed to finding that balance and doing what is right for the people we serve." (CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 2, 2026; CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 29, 2026; WFLX / WPTV, Sept. 1, 2026)
  2. Sept. 29, 2026 Officials said 18 Flock cameras in county and state rights-of-way would be removed by the vendor by Sept. 30. Remaining use is limited to immediate threats to life, such as missing or endangered people, with the chief's authorization. No City Council vote reported. (CBS12 (WPEC), Sept. 29, 2026)
Conflicts and open questions
  • Count conflict: Sept. 1 announcement cited 7 cameras in FDOT rights-of-way; Sept. 29 white paper cites 9 in state rights-of-way (plus 9 in county rights-of-way). CBS12 does not reconcile the figures.

Reported by news outlets; agency records not yet obtained.

Statewide

  1. Aug. 31, 2026 The Florida Department of Transportation revoked permits and ordered all automated license-plate readers off state roads within 30 days. Gov. Ron DeSantis: "I don't want to have this become a surveillance state." (Axios Tampa Bay, Sept. 1, 2026; WUSF, Sept. 2, 2026)
  2. Sept. 30, 2026 The 30-day deadline for removing license-plate readers from state roads passed. (Florida Phoenix, Sept. 30, 2026)