Aventura Mayor Howard Weinberg and six other Miami-Dade mayors are pushing back against a state order to strip license plate readers from public roads. On Sept. 10, Miami Beach commissioners voted unanimously on a workaround that local cities will be watching.
The Miami Beach vote directs police and city staff to return by Oct. 14 with a three-point plan: strengthen privacy safeguards on existing cameras, determine whether cameras can be relocated from state roads to willing private property owners and estimate whether a $50,000 budget covers the move. WSVN first reported the commission vote.
State Order Targets Cameras on Highways
The Florida Department of Transportation issued an order Aug. 31 revoking permits for all license plate readers, or LPRs, on state highways. Local agencies have 30 days to remove the devices or FDOT crews will take them down. The directive applies only to cameras on roads intersecting the state highway system, not to devices on private property or municipal streets, according to El Nuevo Herald.
About half of Miami Beach's roughly 40 cameras sit on state roads, Mayor Steven Meiner told WLRN.
"People in the police department tell me without this technology, it'll open up the flood gates for criminals," Meiner said at the Sept. 10 meeting. "If a car right now is … wanted … a license plate reader gets a hit or there's a stolen vehicle, right now, that car can be traced."
Local Mayors Ask State to Pause Deadline
Weinberg co-signed a Sept. 1 letter to Gov. Ron DeSantis and FDOT Secretary Jared Perdue asking the state to pause enforcement of the removal deadline. Golden Beach Mayor Glenn Singer and Sunny Isles Beach Mayor Larisa Svechin also signed, according to Florida Politics. No public response from the state has appeared as of publication.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz went further than the state order, suspending the county sheriff's office LPR program entirely, the Miami Herald reported.
How Many Cameras Are Actually Affected
A separate Miami Herald analysis found South Florida has about 2,400 LPR cameras total, with roughly 550 in Miami-Dade County. Most are not on state roads. Gov. DeSantis has estimated 98% of the state's nearly 7,500 cameras are under local control and unaffected by the FDOT memo.
What Comes Next for Local Cities
Miami Beach's next commission meeting is Oct. 14, when the three-point plan is due. No statement from Aventura, Sunny Isles Beach or Golden Beach police on whether they are considering a similar private-property strategy has been reported.
Residents with information about crimes in progress can call Aventura Police at 305-466-8989 or Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers at 305-471-8477.
