Florida plate reader shutdown doesn't stop private, toll, and park cameras

CAPE CORAL, Fla. (WINK) — Florida's order to shut down automated license plate readers on state roads does not mean all plate-scanning cameras are going dark.

The Florida Department of Transportation's memo only applies to automated license plate readers used by law enforcement on state-owned roads, leaving several other types of cameras fully active.

Every driver pulling into the Home Depot off Skyline Boulevard in Cape Coral is tracked by a Flock camera.

The company is currently facing a federal class-action lawsuit accusing the retail store of using parking lot surveillance cameras to secretly capture and share driver information with law enforcement.

Home Depot denies the allegations and says it uses the automated license plate readers in select stores to prevent theft and enhance security.

The company says it has no plans to stop using Flock cameras.

Cape Coral Police Chief Anthony Sizemore says while he ordered all city-owned automated license plate readers to be deactivated, he has no say over privately owned cameras.

"Private property is just that. That's private property. If somebody has a surveillance camera, if they purchased an ALPR. If they use the name brand that everybody is kind of hot on flock, that's their private property. We don't have access to that. Us or anybody else would have to get permission to use somebody else's property," Sizemore said.

Businesses, homeowners associations and private citizens have all been installing the technology themselves in recent years.

“I have my own cameras,” said Terry Long of North Fort Myers, who supports ALPR cameras but worries about their potential abuse.

If you are one of the 50,000 drivers that crosses the Cape Coral Bridge between Cape Coral and Fort Myers every day, you may have noticed the signs.

Florida has relied on toll-by-plate technology for 15 years.

An FDOT spokesperson told WINK Investigates that toll-by-plate technology is completely separate from the automated license plate readers used by law enforcement and is governed by a different statutory authority.

Those cameras will continue operating.

Lee County installed cameras last year at 18 popular beaches and parks. Once drivers pull into a parking space, if they do not pay or leave within 15 minutes, they face a fine.

The county says that the program will also continue.

Bill Gallo, who supports Flock cameras, summed up his take on the parking cameras simply.

"I don't care. I look at it like this. I hope the camera did catch me paying, so they know that there's so many people that do the right thing," Gallo said.