34 Nassau Plate Readers Were Ordered Off State Roads. Are They Gone?
A state directive had a 30-day removal clock. The Nassau sheriff said 34 of its Flock cameras were affected. What the public record cited here does not establish is whether those cameras have actually come down.
Automatic plate readers collect vehicle-location data for investigations. A removal order changes where the sheriff can operate this equipment on state highways, but it does not answer whether cameras elsewhere in Nassau County or Fernandina Beach remain in use. Residents need a current inventory to understand the actual reach of the system.
On August 31, 2026, the Florida Department of Transportation issued memorandum EOM26-01, “Revocation of General Use Permits for Automated License Plate Readers.” In an announcement that day, the Nassau County Sheriff’s Office said FDOT had revoked permits for local law-enforcement readers in state-highway rights-of-way and directed their removal within 30 days. The sheriff’s office said the directive applied to 34 Flock Safety cameras it operated across Nassau County and that it would comply.
The order has a boundary
Florida Statute 316.0777 lets FDOT decide whether a law-enforcement plate reader may be installed in a State Highway System right-of-way. It requires removal within 30 days after FDOT gives notice. The same section bars these systems from issuing traffic citations. The state-road right-of-way rule does not, by itself, establish the status of cameras on county or city roads, on private property, or run by another operator.
What is still unverified
The sheriff’s August 31 statement was a commitment to comply, not a completion report. Amelia Undertow has not independently verified that all 34 affected cameras were removed, the dates of any removals, whether any were relocated, or how many sheriff-operated plate readers remain active. Nor does that sheriff’s statement establish the present status of Fernandina Beach police or private-lot readers. A roadside camera seen today cannot be identified as a Flock reader from this article or its photo.
The important next records are a dated camera inventory before and after the directive, the removal or relocation log, and FDOT’s closeout confirmation. They would show the real effect of the order on both public safety operations and vehicle-location surveillance. Until those records or on-record officials establish the outcome, the verified fact is the order and the sheriff’s stated plan, not completed countywide removal.
Questions for the agencies
- How many of the 34 cameras have been physically removed, and on what dates?
- Were any relocated to county, city or private property, and under whose authority?
- How many sheriff-operated plate readers are active now, and where are the broad location categories?
- Has FDOT confirmed compliance with its August 31 directive?
Sources
- Florida Department of Transportation, Engineering and Operations Memorandum EOM26-01 index and linked PDF, effective August 31, 2026; checked October 29, 2026.
- Nassau County Sheriff’s Office, “Removal of License Plate Reader Technology on Nassau County Roadways”, August 31, 2026; checked October 29, 2026.
- Florida Legislature, 2026 Florida Statutes § 316.0777, checked October 29, 2026.
- Wikimedia Commons photograph and license record, photographed October 30, 2010; checked October 29, 2026.
This article distinguishes the removal order from verified removal. Send documentation or a correction through our corrections page.