Ban Flock License Plate Camera Surveillance in Tampa
Ban Flock License Plate Camera Surveillance in Tampa
The Issue
Across Florida and the nation, automated license plate readers are expanding rapidly. These cameras capture images of every vehicle that passes — storing not just license plate numbers but vehicle details and searchable descriptions in powerful databases. While promoted as crime-fighting tools, they create a lasting record of the daily movements of ordinary people who are not suspected of any wrongdoing.
In Florida alone, hundreds of agencies use Flock’s system. Reporting shows that Florida Highway Patrol conducted more than 250 immigration-related searches in the Flock database in just a two-month period this year. At the same time, more than 300 Florida agencies have formal agreements with ICE. Tampa participates in the 287(g) program, which allows local officers to perform certain federal immigration functions.
Even if Tampa officials say they do not directly share data for immigration enforcement, the broader reality is clear: once surveillance data exists, and once it connects to interoperable systems, the boundaries between local policing and federal enforcement become harder to guarantee. Communities across the country have raised concerns that license plate reader systems can be used to track immigrants, protestors, or other residents far beyond their original stated purpose.
Everyone wants safer streets and protected school zones. But public safety should not require building a permanent, searchable record of where people drive — especially when data sharing practices are often opaque and locations of cameras are kept secret from the public.
We call on Mayor Jane Castor, the Tampa City Council, and Chief Lee Bercaw to prohibit the use, expansion, or integration of Flock license plate reader systems in Tampa; ensure that no city-contracted technology interoperates with Flock’s national network; and adopt strong transparency and privacy protections that prevent immigration-related searches or federal data sharing.
Tampa can protect children, solve crimes, and uphold constitutional rights without embracing mass surveillance. Our city should not quietly become part of a nationwide tracking network.
Sign this petition to keep Tampa out of Flock’s surveillance system and protect the privacy and safety of all residents.
83
The Issue
Across Florida and the nation, automated license plate readers are expanding rapidly. These cameras capture images of every vehicle that passes — storing not just license plate numbers but vehicle details and searchable descriptions in powerful databases. While promoted as crime-fighting tools, they create a lasting record of the daily movements of ordinary people who are not suspected of any wrongdoing.
In Florida alone, hundreds of agencies use Flock’s system. Reporting shows that Florida Highway Patrol conducted more than 250 immigration-related searches in the Flock database in just a two-month period this year. At the same time, more than 300 Florida agencies have formal agreements with ICE. Tampa participates in the 287(g) program, which allows local officers to perform certain federal immigration functions.
Even if Tampa officials say they do not directly share data for immigration enforcement, the broader reality is clear: once surveillance data exists, and once it connects to interoperable systems, the boundaries between local policing and federal enforcement become harder to guarantee. Communities across the country have raised concerns that license plate reader systems can be used to track immigrants, protestors, or other residents far beyond their original stated purpose.
Everyone wants safer streets and protected school zones. But public safety should not require building a permanent, searchable record of where people drive — especially when data sharing practices are often opaque and locations of cameras are kept secret from the public.
We call on Mayor Jane Castor, the Tampa City Council, and Chief Lee Bercaw to prohibit the use, expansion, or integration of Flock license plate reader systems in Tampa; ensure that no city-contracted technology interoperates with Flock’s national network; and adopt strong transparency and privacy protections that prevent immigration-related searches or federal data sharing.
Tampa can protect children, solve crimes, and uphold constitutional rights without embracing mass surveillance. Our city should not quietly become part of a nationwide tracking network.
Sign this petition to keep Tampa out of Flock’s surveillance system and protect the privacy and safety of all residents.
83
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Petition created on February 20, 2026