Pasco County’s license-plate reader cameras, once embraced by county commissioners as a crime-fighting tool, are going away.
A day after commissioners agreed to initiate a study and workshop to decide whether to continue using the cameras, Sheriff Chris Nocco beat them to the punch. He notified the board that he was terminating the agreement governing roughly 60 cameras placed in county rights-of-way, effective Sept. 30.
Nocco made clear he opposed ending the program, placing the blame on commissioners who no longer supported the agreement.
Nocco wrote that after watching the Aug. 11 and Aug. 25 commission meetings, it was clear a majority of commissioners no longer supported the agreement they had unanimously approved Dec. 10, 2024.
“I do wish to thank the commissioners who have stood with law enforcement and public safety, however,” he wrote.
Those thanks weren’t extended to the board as a whole.
At the Aug. 11 meeting, commissioners Jack Mariano and Ron Oakley voted against a motion by Lisa Yeager to renew the contract with the Sheriff’s Office immediately, without taking a closer look. Asked by Mariano if she had read the new contract, which included switching vendors from Flock Safety to Axon, Yeager admitted she hadn’t. Kathryn Starkey backed her.
Mariano opposed the motion, insisting on more time to review the contract and study the issue.
Commissioner Seth Weightman was not in attendance.
At the Aug. 25 meeting, more residents spoke against the cameras, with a handful in favor of their continued use.
Afterward, the commission directed staff to convene a task force of residents and experts to study license-plate readers, drones and related technology, with a public workshop expected before any future program is considered.
“So that may take a little bit of time to do it, but I think taking our time on this and getting it right is critical,” Mariano said. “And I think just like the moratorium on data centers was well respected and received by our citizens, I think if we take our time and look at this and make the right decision, I think it’s a great way to go.”
The following day, Nocco’s letter terminating the agreement was released.
The outgoing sheriff, who is running in a special election for Florida State Senate District 21, went on to write that it was “disappointing that a majority of the Board of County Commissioners does not trust the Sheriff’s office or our deputies,” and warned that the loss of the cameras “will impact the solvability of crimes and our ability to locate missing and endangered children and adults, including the victims of human trafficking.”
Mariano, however, said on Aug. 11 that he was uncomfortable with the program and how the data might be shared and suggested to the board writing a letter to Nocco asking for the program to stop immediately.
Starkey and Yeager were opposed.
“I had a meeting with the Sheriff’s Office yesterday, and I’m confident that we are protecting our public’s identity,” Starkey said.
Undersheriff Chase Daniels walked the board through the program’s safeguards. They include purging data after 30 days, although state law allows it to be kept longer, requiring case numbers for searches and auditing access.
Yeager argued for continuing the program before making her motion.
Mariano said his hesitation stemmed more from his constituents’ concerns and the Fourth Amendment. He did not accuse the Sheriff’s Office of abusing the program.
“I don’t have any problem with the way you guys have actually done it,” he said. “The compilation of all the data is where the problem is.”
Mariano welcomed the sheriff’s decision. In an open letter to constituents, he framed Nocco’s decision as a Fourth Amendment victory.
“I am pleased that our Sheriff will be terminating the Interlocal Agreement regarding the placement of Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) in the public right-of-way,” Mariano wrote. “Our well-informed citizens spoke passionately at the recent Board of County Commissioners meeting about protecting their Fourth Amendment rights, and their voices were clearly heard. Local government must draw a hard line against mass surveillance.”
Not all residents agreed. Those in favor, including off-duty police officers and Fraternal Order of Police representatives, argued that the cameras have helped solve homicides, recover trafficking victims and find missing children and dementia patients.
“Those cameras have produced real results,” said William Lawless of New Port Richey, who said he was a 32-year veteran of law enforcement in Pasco County. “The Pasco Sheriff’s Office has used these monitoring cameras to solve homicide cases, locate missing adults and children, identify human trafficking victims, and a variety of crimes and sprees throughout our community. These aren’t hypothetical benefits. These are real, actual public safety results.”
However, most speakers opposed the cameras, citing civil liberties concerns, including historical abuses and alleged incidents in other jurisdictions where officers misused camera data.
“I’m asking you to demand safeguards before deployment,” Christy Zimmer said. “Require a written policy governing searches. Require investigative justification. Require meaningful auditing. Require strict limits on retention and sharing. … Do not make this county a test case study.”
Nocco’s decision will remove roughly 60 cameras from county rights-of-way. But it won’t eliminate license-plate readers from Pasco County.
Another 110 cameras owned by HOAs, retail stores, gas stations and other private entities will remain in operation.