PORT ST. LUCIE, Fla. (CBS12) \u2014 Port St. Lucie officials said 18 Flock cameras installed in county and state rights-of-way are scheduled to be removed by the vendor by Sept. 30, as the city pauses its automated license plate reader program amid continued privacy concerns.<\/p>\n
The update came during public comment at a City Council meeting<\/a> on Monday, where several residents urged council members to permanently remove the cameras and prohibit future permits for Flock <\/a>and other automated vehicle-tracking systems.<\/p>\n Casey Honeycutt called for a citywide ban on Flock cameras and similar systems, arguing they pose privacy and surveillance concerns.<\/p>\n Port St. Lucie resident Jorge Borgess directly asked council members to remove the cameras and take further action. He asked the city to stop issuing permits for automated license plate readers and other vehicle-tracking systems in city-owned or city-controlled rights-of-way, and to pursue removal of existing cameras.<\/p>\n Borgess said Port St. Lucie police<\/a> announced Sept. 1 that the department would pause the program and remove seven cameras. He told council he counted eight of 22 cameras still standing at locations he believed required state right-of-way review.<\/p>\n Dr. Steven Grier also addressed the council, saying he has sued the city, Mayor Shannon Martin and Flock in federal court. His lawsuit allegations were not discussed by the council during the meeting.<\/p>\n See also: Sheriff\u2019s office warns of renewed inappropriate activity at DJ Wilcox Preserve<\/a><\/p>\n Later, Port St. Lucie resident James Reynolds joined the criticism, telling council members the city had previously achieved its public safety goals without Flock cameras.<\/p>\n \u201cWe need to make sure there\u2019s punishments for misuse; we need to make sure that retention periods are addressed; our audit is complete,\u201d Bonna said. \u201cI know there have been local incidents of misuse, and so this isn\u2019t something abstract.\u201d<\/p>\n Bonna said he was not calling for all cameras to be taken down immediately.<\/p>\n \u201cWhat I\u2019m calling for is to pause the program, and when I say pause, I mean pause, and let\u2019s get this policy right, so it protects both our liberties and safety,\u201d Bonna said.<\/p>\n During the discussion, city officials said the police chief\u2019s white paper calls for nine cameras in county rights-of-way and nine in state rights-of-way to be removed by the vendor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe city can\u2019t take them down; the vendor needs to take them down,\u201d an unidentified city official said. \u201cThose 18 cameras will be taken down.\u201d<\/p>\n An unidentified city staff member later confirmed the scheduled removal date.<\/p>\n \u201cThe date is Sept. 30 that the cameras will be taken down,\u201d the staff member said.<\/p>\n Port St. Lucie police had previously announced an operational pause<\/a> on its Flock and Axon license plate reader systems after the Florida Department of Transportation revoked approvals <\/a>for the technology in state highway rights of way. At that time, police said seven city cameras located in FDOT rights-of-way would be removed.<\/p>\n The city\u2019s pause limits use of the remaining systems to cases involving an immediate threat to life, including missing or endangered people, with authorization from Police Chief Leo Niemczyk<\/a>.<\/p>\n The discussion follows a broader debate in St. Lucie County. Earlier this month, county commissioners voted 3-2 to stop new permits for Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers in county-controlled rights of way, review existing permits and issue removal notices where appropriate. The county action went beyond FDOT\u2019s order, which applied only to state highway rights-of-way.<\/p>\n