Pasco Swaps Flock Cameras for Axon as Privacy Fears and New Safeguards Collide
Pasco County Sheriff’s Office are switching from Flock Safety to Axon, focusing on the SR 54 corridor.
Pasco County is making changes to its network of automated license plate reader cameras, but the move hasn’t quieted concerns from local residents who worry about privacy and long-term data control.
The Pasco County Sheriff’s Office is replacing some of its Flock Safety cameras with systems from Axon, focusing on the State Road 54 corridor between New Port Richey and Wesley Chapel. Officials say the switch will not increase the total number of cameras. Undersheriff Chase Daniels noted that Axon already supplies the agency’s body cameras, Tasers, and evidence system, making the new cameras easier to integrate and about $50,000 cheaper overall.
Across the county, roughly 170 license plate readers are in place when private cameras at businesses, gas stations, and homeowner associations are included. The Sheriff’s Office operates only about 40 to 60 of them. Agency policy keeps the data for 30 days, requires a case or call number for every search, and limits use to legitimate law enforcement purposes such as finding missing people or investigating serious crimes.Still, a growing number of Pasco residents remain uneasy. At the August 11 Board of County Commissioners meeting, several speakers urged the county to end its interlocal agreement that supports the Sheriff’s camera network. They described the systems as a form of warrantless mass surveillance that tracks everyday drivers without meaningful public debate.
Residents have raised specific worries about transparency, noting that cameras have appeared in neighborhoods with little advance notice. A major flashpoint is contract language that appears to allow Flock to continue using Pasco’s data for training or improving its services even after a contract ends. Critics fear this could mean the information lives on indefinitely or is used in ways local policies no longer control. Others point to misuse cases in other Florida counties as evidence that strong safeguards are needed.
Sheriff’s Office leaders have pushed back, emphasizing that their cameras sit in public rights-of-way, that searches are audited, and that Florida law restricts the data to law enforcement use only. They also note that private cameras outnumber the agency’s own and that the technology has helped solve real cases, including intercepting a vehicle linked to a murder-for-hire plot.
The debate comes as Flock Safety itself announced new company-wide protections on August 13, including stricter requirements for search justifications, mandatory audits, and a shorter recommended data retention period. Whether those changes ease local concerns remains to be seen.
