VOLUSIA COUNTY, Fla. — The Volusia County Council established a 12-month moratorium on law enforcement license plate readers along county roads on Tuesday, temporarily halting their use in county rights of way.
Under the moratorium, the county will not issue new use permits for installing law enforcement license plate reader cameras within county road rights of way.
The council’s decision follows action taken by the Florida Department of Transportation in August, when state officials announced a ban on automated license plate recognition devices within State Highway System rights of way.
The state department also directed local law enforcement agencies to remove existing readers from state roadways.
The county will send letters to existing permittees and agencies that have been issued permits for license plate readers, informing them of the decision.
Permittees will be directed to remove all law-enforcement license-plate reader cameras from county rights-of-way within 30 days.
Any devices remaining after the 30-day period will be subject to removal by county staff at the permittee’s expense.
Following the state’s action in August, the council directed staff last month to bring back a discussion on how to handle license plate readers on county roads.
Because Volusia County maintains authority over its road rights-of-way, the council has the power to determine whether the devices can be installed or operated along those roadways.
During the 12-month moratorium, the county will monitor potential policy changes at the state level and evaluate how to handle license plate reader technology along county roads moving forward.
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