Roughly 60 license plate reader cameras in Pasco County rights-of-way will come down by Wednesday, Sept. 30, after Sheriff Chris Nocco terminated the county's camera agreement on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Hours later, Gov. Ron DeSantis escalated the debate to the state level. Speaking at a press conference at Florida International University in Miami, DeSantis called the cameras "out of control" and said the Florida Legislature would need to step in.

"I'm all about having law enforcement have tools to be able to hold criminals accountable," DeSantis said, according to FOX 13. "But I don't want to have this become a surveillance state."

He said he is reviewing restrictions adopted in New Hampshire as a possible model for Florida. He did not announce specific legislation or a timetable, according to MySunCoast.

DeSantis has the authority to call a special legislative session, but his office told Florida Politics there is "no intel" on plans to do so. The Florida Senate passed an AI Bill of Rights proposal that could have addressed digital surveillance, but the House under Speaker Daniel Perez did not act on it.

Nearly 7,500 license plate readers operate across Florida, and at least 100 law enforcement agencies use Flock cameras, according to Florida Politics. The anti-surveillance group DeFlock reported that more than 90 cities had moved to cancel or reject Flock contracts as of Thursday, Aug. 27, according to WTSP.

What it means for Pasco

Nocco's termination removes roughly 60 cameras from county rights-of-way by Sept. 30. Another 110 cameras owned by HOAs, retail stores, gas stations and other private entities will stay up, according to the Tampa Bay Beacons. Cameras on state-owned rights-of-way governed by the Florida Department of Transportation are also unaffected.

Nocco warned in his termination letter that losing the cameras will hurt crime solvability and the ability to locate missing and endangered children and adults, including human trafficking victims. He wrote that none of the privacy concerns raised at recent commission meetings had occurred in Pasco County. The Pasco Sheriff's Office had limited data retention to 30 days and required all searches to be tied to a case number with written justification.

Commission Chair Jack Mariano welcomed the decision. In an open letter to constituents, Mariano called it a Fourth Amendment victory and wrote that the expansion of license plate data tracking across private tech companies and law enforcement agencies nationwide is deeply concerning.

The dispute built over two commission meetings. On Tuesday, Aug. 11, Mariano and Commissioner Ron Oakley voted against a motion by Commissioner Lisa Yeager to renew the camera contract immediately. On Tuesday, Aug. 25, residents lined up on both sides. Bryan Sarabia, division director for the State Attorney's Office in New Port Richey, spoke in favor of the cameras. The commission then directed staff to convene a task force of residents and experts to study license plate readers, drones and related technology.

A public workshop is expected before any future program is considered, though no date has been set.

A Haines City police officer was arrested in August after authorities said he used Flock cameras to track his estranged wife's vehicle more than 700 times, WFLA reported. DeSantis cited that case and others as examples of misuse.

Nocco, who is running in a special election for Florida State Senate District 21, had recently announced the Sheriff's Office was switching camera vendors from Flock Safety to Axon before the termination.

Neither the commission's task force nor the governor's office has announced a timeline for next steps.