The mayors of Aventura, Golden Beach and Sunny Isles Beach are pushing back against a state order to strip license plate reader, or LPR, cameras from Florida's roads.
Coastal Mayors Seek Pause on 30-Day Removal Order
The three local leaders co-signed a letter led by Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner asking Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Department of Transportation, or FDOT, to pause a 30-day removal order issued Monday, Axios Miami reported. The mayors of Bay Harbor, Bal Harbour and Indian Creek also signed, bringing the total to seven Miami-Dade coastal mayors opposing the directive.
Letter Calls for Oversight Rather Than Outright Ban
The letter requests a process for local police to keep using the cameras under stronger state oversight rather than face an outright ban. Meiner wrote on X that he wanted "a balanced approach with real oversight addressing privacy concerns" instead of a blanket prohibition.
State Cites Misuse, Privacy Concerns in Camera Order
The FDOT memo, signed by Chief Operating Officer Will Watts, revoked all permits for law enforcement agencies to operate license plate reader systems on state roads. It cited a rapid increase in camera deployments, reports of misuse and data privacy concerns. Agencies that do not remove their cameras within 30 days will have them taken down by the state, according to NBC 6 South Florida.
Order Applies Only to Cameras on State Roads
The order applies only to cameras on state roads. Devices on private property or municipal streets are not affected, according to El Nuevo Herald.
Golden Beach Bought New Cameras Months Before Order
Golden Beach's Town Council voted unanimously on May 19 to spend $27,060 on two new Motorola LPR cameras for the north side of Ocean Boulevard, according to a town resolution. Town Manager Alexander Diaz described the replacement as essential for vehicle monitoring and resident safety in a memo to the council. Whether those cameras sit on a state road or a municipal road is unclear.
Aventura's Mayor Cites Crime-Fighting Value
Aventura's mayor also backed the effort, arguing the technology helps track suspects and stolen cars, Patch reported.
Miami-Dade Sheriff Takes Broader Step, Suspends Program
Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz moved in the opposite direction. She announced Tuesday that all cameras on FDOT infrastructure would go offline by the end of that day and that the sheriff's office LPR program would be suspended entirely. That went beyond the state's order, which covered only state roads.
"To be clear, this technology has helped apprehend murderers and robbers, and saved children from being abducted and found missing people," Cordero-Stutz told the Miami Herald.
DeSantis Frames Order as a Surveillance Concern
DeSantis said the order was about preventing a surveillance state. At an Aug. 31 news conference in Jacksonville, he said he did not want Florida to become a place where residents' movements are tracked at all times by digital technology.
State Funded Camera Grants Before Reversing Course
WLRN reported Wednesday that DeSantis had approved roughly $4.6 million in grants for local agencies to buy license plate readers through the State Board of Immigration Enforcement since September 2025. Eighteen agencies requested funding for about 440 cameras through that program.
At least 100 Florida agencies have signed contracts with Flock, the leading LPR vendor, in recent years, according to the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
No Response Yet From State; Deadline Looms Sept. 30
No response from the DeSantis administration or FDOT to the mayors' letter has been made public. The removal deadline falls by Sept. 30. Meiner has said he is working on legislation to preserve the cameras, but no bill has been filed.
Residents who want to report a public safety concern can contact Aventura Police at 305-466-8989, Sunny Isles Beach Police at 305-947-4440 or Golden Beach Police at 305-932-0744.
