ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — A secretive security task force put in place after September 11 could be keeping a close eye on central Florida residents without their knowledge.
For months 9 Investigates has been working to get more answers about CFIX, the Central Florida Information Exchange.
It's one of more than 70 fusion centers across the nation questioned about their tactics and results.
"They're really supposed to be focused here on finding actual terror threats and if they're not there the fusion centers really need to be peeled back or shut down," said Michelle Richardson, public policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union.
Fusion centers opened across the United States in 2003 and came under fire nine years later when a U.S. Senate subcommittee found the secret intelligence gathering groups "endangered citizens civil liberties and privacy act protections."
PDF: Senate Subcommittee report on Fusion centers
Richardson said those findings are a cause for concern.
"These aren't preventing terrorism attacks and instead they're just amassing information on American citizens that is very intensely private," Richardson said.
In central Florida CFIX is supposed to analyze threat assessments and share intelligence.
But that Senate report found many centers had "not produced useful intelligence to support federal counterterrorism efforts."
The nine central Florida counties monitored by CFIX include Osceola, Orange, Seminole, Lake, Volusia, Indian River, St. Lucie, Martin and Brevard.
Officials won't say if the group stores license plate reader images or data from stingray devices that mimic cell towers.
CFIX does use local law enforcement officers, but Channel 9 wasn't able to determine who or how many work there.
Some worry CFIX might be using high quality spy tactics to profile people in the community.
"It's very important that someone keep a close eye on them to make sure that doesn't happen," Richardson said.
But keeping an eye on CFIX is difficult when you don't even know where in Orlando they are; that's also confidential information.
But what is public are alerts posted by CFIX. One warns health care providers that smoking alcohol is a dangerous, re-emerging trend. Another said 79 percent of national mass shooting – none in Florida – can be attributed to mental illness.
While local law enforcement provide the staff, CFIX receives $370,000 in federal and state funds.
While some reports released by CFIX seem to indicate they're not gathering much information, it's what they're not saying that is concerning to the ACLU.
"They're now becoming a generalized law enforcement entity, and this Homeland Security funding is going to spying on people who admittedly aren't a homeland security or terror threat," Richardson said.
A Sheriff's Office representative told Channel 9 that CFIX keeps an eye on public schools, law enforcement facilities, entertainment and lodging establishments and public utility facilities.
The attorney assigned to CFIX to oversee public privacy did not return calls or emails from Channel 9.
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