In late August 2026, Texas and Florida each issued significant orders restricting the use of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPRs), highlighting increasing public and governmental pushback against widespread surveillance practices. These moves are part of a broader wave of opposition to indiscriminate data collection on motorists driven by privacy and civil liberties advocates.
- Texas bans state funds for Flock ALPR cameras amid $30M surveillance network spending.
- Florida orders removal of ALPRs from state highways and suspends new permits.
- Local ALPR deployments and federal cameras remain largely unregulated.
What happened
In August 2026, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued an order preventing state agencies from using public funds to purchase Flock ALPR cameras. This directive came immediately before an investigative report surfaced revealing that a Texas state agency had secretly invested at least $30 million building a widespread ALPR surveillance network. Meanwhile, the Florida Department of Transportation, backed by Governor Ron DeSantis, announced a memo requiring all ALPRs installed in state highway rights-of-way to be removed within 30 days. The memo also canceled all previous permits and prohibited issuing new ones for ALPR deployment on state highways.
These moves represent sharp reversals for states that had increasingly become sites of mass license plate surveillance. Florida’s decision was driven by rapid escalation in ALPR installations along roadways and rising concerns over misuse, privacy violations, and broader surveillance implications. Following the FDOT order, multiple Florida local governments have begun cancelling or pausing contracts with ALPR vendors. However, many ALPRs still remain active on non-state highways such as city streets, county roads, and private locations.
Why it matters
The actions in Texas and Florida underscore the growing bipartisan momentum against mass surveillance technologies that indiscriminately collect vehicle location data without suspicion. ALPR networks record and store location information about every vehicle passing their cameras, enabling continuous tracking and data aggregation that civil liberties groups argue erodes privacy rights and public trust. These executive orders demonstrate how state leadership can quickly curtail public fund expenditures on such surveillance, disrupting expansive data gathering systems.
This resistance builds on years of grassroots advocacy successfully pushing cities to sever contracts with ALPR providers like Flock, as well as investigative journalism revealing surveillance scale and data uses. Despite progress, these state-level bans do not address ALPR usage funded by local entities, federal agencies, or private actors. Federal installations by Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration on highways remain intact in states like California, illustrating gaps in enforcement and jurisdiction that privacy advocates continue to challenge.
What to watch next
Advocates and policy makers will likely press for expanded restrictions to cover ALPR deployments beyond state highways and scrutinize federal agency usage. In Florida, local governments could follow the FDOT’s lead by terminating or renegotiating contracts for cameras located on city and county roads, residential areas, and commercial parking lots. Meanwhile, Texas directives leave room for local agencies to continue ALPR spending through non-state funds, pointing to potential loopholes policymakers may seek to close.
California’s government and transportation department face pressure to revoke permits allowing federal ALPRs near border areas and highways. The Electronic Frontier Foundation and allied organizations have called on Governor Gavin Newsom to initiate stronger measures curbing warrantless commercial and federal ALPR surveillance. This evolving landscape suggests intensified political and legal battles as public awareness about mass vehicle tracking grows and demands for enforceable privacy safeguards increase nationwide.