Every license plate reader camera in Duval County, including those along Mandarin corridors, went dark Monday after Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters ordered an immediate countywide shutdown.

The move came hours after the Florida Department of Transportation revoked every existing permit for automated license plate recognition systems installed on state highway rights-of-way. FDOT's memo, signed by Chief Operating Officer Will Watts, gives law enforcement 30 days to remove the devices or FDOT will take them down itself, Jacksonville Today reported.

The state order landed three days after Mandarin-area residents filled a City Hall hearing room to capacity for a public meeting on the cameras hosted by District 7 City Council member Jimmy Peluso.

Mayor Donna Deegan said in a statement that her administration will continue working with City Council on policy solutions that protect data from misuse.

Sheriff's Office shutdown goes beyond state's order

The FDOT memo covers only cameras on state roads. The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office shutdown applies to all 141 fixed and nine mobile readers throughout Duval County, including those on county and city roads, Action News Jax reported. Waters said in a statement that the technology had been a valuable investigative tool but that discontinuing it was the appropriate step given the state directive and community concerns.

According to JSO, the cameras helped solve 15 murders, 17 kidnappings, six forcible sex offenses, nearly 100 shootings and 172 missing-persons cases since 2024.

DeSantis raised privacy concerns before FDOT acted

The FDOT action followed Gov. Ron DeSantis raising concerns about the cameras during an Aug. 26 news conference at Florida International University. "Go after criminals — great, let's all do that," DeSantis said, according to Florida's Voice. "But surveilling just regular Floridians' movements, and how that data's used, that's a bird of a different feather."

FDOT also said it will stop issuing future permits for the systems on state roads. The memo cited misuse reports, data privacy concerns and what it called surveillance schemes as reasons for the action. Because the memo functions as an executive order rather than legislation, a future governor could reverse it, WUSF reported.

Neighboring counties follow Duval's lead

The shutdown rippled across Northeast Florida. Nassau County and Clay County announced they would discontinue their readers Monday. Putnam County Sheriff Gator DeLoach said his office would disconnect its 18 cameras immediately and remove them within 30 days.

Overflow crowd pushed for moratorium before order came down

Peluso's hearing Friday, Aug. 28, drew so many people that a second overflow room was opened where attendees watched on screens, the Florida Times-Union reported. He had proposed a 120-day moratorium on new cameras, an official city inventory of locations and a petition process for residents to request removal. After the FDOT order, Peluso said he may still file a bill to protect communities from similar surveillance systems, according to Jacksonville Today.

A DeFlock tracking website showed an estimated 200-plus Flock cameras in Duval County and more than 600 across Duval, Nassau, Clay, Baker and St. Johns counties as of early August.

How to report tips

Residents with information about criminal activity can contact JSO at 904-630-0500 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 866-845-TIPS.