Florida License Plate Reader Laws (2026)

Florida has no general statewide statute on who may use license plate readers or how they must be run. Two narrow sections cover them: § 316.0777 governs readers installed in State Highway System rights-of-way at a law enforcement agency's request and makes the resulting images and data confidential, and § 316.0778 directs the Department of State to set a retention schedule. On August 31, 2026, the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) issued a memorandum revoking local agencies' permits for readers on state rights-of-way.

Information reviewed September 30, 2026.

For related pages, see the Florida entry in the state comparison, the ALPR laws hub, Are Flock cameras legal?, What are Flock cameras?, our news post on FDOT revoking ALPR permits, and our Florida surveillance camera laws guide.

Does Florida have a license plate reader law?

Not a general one. We searched the full text of Fla. Stat. chapters 316 (traffic control), 119 (public records), 943 (FDLE and criminal justice), 934 (security of communications) and 322 (driver licenses), plus chapter 338 (tolls and turnpike), for the terms license plate recognition and license plate reader. Only §§ 316.0777 and 316.0778 in chapter 316 use them. The toll chapter may use other terms for toll-plate readers, which we did not enumerate further.

Sections 316.0777 and 316.0778 are narrow. They address installation on state rights-of-way, confidentiality of the data and retention. They do not set out, for example, which agencies may use readers on local roads, who may search the data, or an audit requirement.

What does § 316.0777 say about readers on state roads?

Under § 316.0777(2)(b), "at the discretion of the Department of Transportation," a reader may be installed within the right-of-way of a State Highway System road when installed at the request of a law enforcement agency to collect active criminal intelligence or investigative information. The statute adds these conditions:

• The system may not be used to issue a notice of violation or a uniform traffic citation.
• Installation must follow FDOT guidelines.
• The system must be removed within 30 days after FDOT notifies the agency.
• Installation and removal are at the agency's sole expense.
• FDOT is not liable for damages from the agency's operation of the system.

What did FDOT's August 31, 2026 memorandum do?

FDOT Engineering and Operations Memorandum No. 26-01, dated August 31, 2026, went to local agency permitholders under the subject "Revocation of General Use Permits for Automated License Plate Readers." It says that all LPR-related approvals issued by the Department to a local law enforcement agency "are hereby revoked and must be removed by the permittee within 30 days of the date of this memorandum." It says FDOT will remove remaining devices after the 30-day period, may immediately remove any device that is an immediate safety concern, and "will use its discretionary authority to cease the issuance of all future requests for LPR systems." It cites § 316.0777 as the source of FDOT's authority.

Thirty days from August 31 runs to September 30, 2026. We did not find a primary source documenting whether the removals happened, so this page does not say they did. For the announcement and reaction, see our news post, FDOT revokes ALPR permits.

The memo's scope matters. By its text it addresses readers within the right-of-way of State Highway System roads placed there by local agencies. We read nothing in it that prohibits license plate readers on county or city roads or on private property.

Where have local agencies reported changes?

This list is not complete, and it reports what news outlets described, not what we verified. A WFTV report of August 31, 2026 lists the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the Volusia County Sheriff's Office and Oviedo as ended, and the Seminole County Sheriff's Office, Titusville, Sanford and Altamonte Springs as paused. A tampabaybeacons.com report of August 31, 2026 describes the Pasco County Sheriff's Office cameras as coming down, reporting that the sheriff was ending the agreement for roughly 60 cameras in county rights-of-way, effective September 30, 2026.

How long can Florida keep license plate reader data?

The statute sets no number. Section 316.0777(2)(d) says records may not be retained longer than the maximum period in the retention schedule under § 316.0778. Under § 316.0778(2), the Department of State, in consultation with FDLE, "shall establish a retention schedule" that "must establish a maximum period that the records may be retained."

The schedule we found is General Records Schedule GS2, Item 217, "License Plate Recognition Records," in the June 2023 edition. It says to retain the records until obsolete, superseded or of no administrative value, but no longer than 3 anniversary years unless another record series requires longer. Rule 1B-24.003 of the Florida Administrative Code, which adopts the schedules, was last amended effective June 28, 2023, and a revision of GS2 was noticed for rule development on March 5, 2026, so check for a newer edition before relying on the 3-year figure.

Are Florida plate reader records public?

Generally not. Under § 316.0777(3), images and data containing or providing personal identifying information obtained through an ALPR system are "confidential and exempt from s. 119.07(1) and s. 24(a), Art. I of the State Constitution." Personal identifying information in data generated from ALPR images is also covered. The statute allows disclosure by or to a criminal justice agency in the performance of its official duties, and information relating to a plate registered to an individual may be disclosed to that individual unless it is active criminal intelligence or investigative information. The exemption applies to information held before, on or after its effective date.

Are there statewide guidelines?

Yes, but they are voluntary. The CJJIS Council's Guidelines for the Use of Automated License Plate Readers, revised and approved November 13, 2024, are encouraged statewide guidelines and not mandatory. They call for limiting use to a criminal justice purpose and to plates in public view, an agency policy, chief-executive authorization, trained users, access logging with a case number or name, an annual audit schedule, and sharing only with criminal justice agencies with a dissemination record. They state that data "shall be retained in accordance with Florida Statute 316.0778," no longer than 3 anniversary years, with data accessible in the system for 30 days for tactical use.

What has the Legislature done in 2026?

CS/CS/CS/HB 543 (Transportation) would have amended § 316.0777 to let a private property owner install a reader solely for use on and within property it owns or controls, with limits on accessing vehicle registration data and on sharing or selling the data. According to the official bill page, it passed the House 107-1 on March 4, 2026 and the Senate as substituted 33-0 on March 6, 2026, but the House refused to concur in a Senate amendment, and the bill "Died in returning Messages" on March 13, 2026. The bill page lists two companion bills that passed, CS/HB 925 (chapter 2026-112) and SB 488 (chapter 2026-39), and neither enrolled text contains an ALPR provision. Section 316.0777 as displayed on the Legislature's site still shows history through chapter 2023-70.

What have Florida courts decided?

We did not find a Florida appellate decision on license plate readers that we could read and confirm, so this page does not describe any court holding.

What about Florida's constitution?

The public-records exemption itself refers to Article I, section 24(a) of the Florida Constitution. We read no court holding on license plate readers under Article I, section 23, the state constitution's privacy provision.

Florida has no statute we found that addresses sharing plate data with federal immigration agencies by name, and its general immigration law, which never mentions plate readers, leans toward cooperation. Under § 908.104(1), state and local law enforcement agencies, "[c]onsistent with all duties created in state and federal law," "shall use best efforts to support the enforcement of federal immigration law." Section 908.103 bars any "sanctuary policy," which § 908.102(6) defines as a policy that prohibits or impedes a law enforcement agency from complying with 8 U.S.C. § 1373 or from communicating or cooperating with a federal immigration agency in listed ways, such as honoring immigration detainers, sharing inmate release information, executing a lawful judicial warrant or "[p]articipating in a federal immigration operation with a federal immigration agency as permitted by federal and state law." Section 908.104(2) protects the exchange of "information regarding a person's immigration status." None of these sections mentions plate data or § 316.0777(4)(a), which allows disclosure of plate reader data by or to a criminal justice agency, and this page does not say how they interact.

A separate statute on school zone speed cameras sets its own rules for that footage. Under § 316.1896(15), a school zone speed detection system "may not be used for remote surveillance," and its recorded video or photographs "may only be used to document violations of ss. 316.1895 and 316.183" and to determine criminal or civil liability for incidents the system captures incidental to that permitted use. They "must be destroyed within 90 days after the final disposition of the recorded event." Registered owner information the system produces is not the vendor's property and "may be used only for the purposes of this section." That section governs school zone speed cameras, not license plate readers.

One toll provision is general rather than reader-specific. Under § 338.155(6), "personal identifying information held by the Department of Transportation, a county, a municipality, or an expressway authority for the purpose of paying, prepaying, or collecting tolls and associated administrative charges" is exempt from the public records law. It does not mention license plates or images, and it is a public records exemption only: it does not say when law enforcement may obtain toll data.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it legal to use license plate readers in Florida?

Florida has no general statute that says who may use them or how. The sections we found, Fla. Stat. 316.0777 and 316.0778, address readers on state highway rights-of-way, confidentiality and retention.

Did Florida ban Flock cameras?

No. FDOT Memorandum 26-01, dated August 31, 2026, revoked local agencies' approvals for readers on State Highway System rights-of-way and required removal within 30 days of the memo. It does not, on its face, address county or city roads or private property.

How long does Florida keep license plate reader data?

The statute sets no number. It refers to a records schedule. The June 2023 edition of General Records Schedule GS2, Item 217, says no longer than 3 anniversary years, and a newer edition may exist.

Can I get license plate reader data in Florida through a public records request?

Images and data with personal identifying information are confidential and exempt under section 316.0777(3). Disclosure is allowed to criminal justice agencies, and information about a plate registered to an individual may go to that individual unless it is active criminal intelligence or investigative information.

Can a private business or HOA install a plate reader in Florida?

Section 316.0777 does not say. A 2026 bill that would have let private entities install readers on their own property died on March 13, 2026, and the sections we found do not otherwise address private operators.

Did the FDOT cameras actually come down?

The memo required removal within 30 days of August 31, 2026, and said FDOT would remove remaining devices afterward. We found no primary source confirming that removals were completed.