1. United States
2. Fla.
3. Letter

I urge the Governor and Florida Legislature to strengthen Florida law governing automated license plate readers (ALPRs) and prevent these systems from becoming a mass-surveillance network. Florida law already regulates ALPR information and its retention. But technology is advancing much faster than our laws. License plate readers have expanded beyond simply identifying plates associated with stolen vehicles, wanted persons, or legitimate law-enforcement alerts. Large networks can create searchable records showing when and where vehicles have traveled. Floridians who are suspected of no crime should not have their movements routinely reconstructed by government simply because technology makes it possible. The threat becomes even greater when ALPR information can potentially be combined with artificial intelligence, facial recognition, video surveillance, or other databases. I urge Florida to enact legislation that: 1. Requires a warrant based on probable cause before historical ALPR information can be used to reconstruct someone’s movements, except for narrowly defined emergencies. 2. Prohibits mass searches unrelated to a specific criminal investigation. 3. Prohibits combining ALPR information with facial recognition, biometric information, or other surveillance databases without judicial authorization. 4. Prohibits government agencies from using generative AI to fabricate or materially alter photographic, video, or audio evidence presented as authentic. 5. Requires preservation of original evidence and a verifiable chain of custody identifying every AI modification. 6. Requires ALPR searches to record the officer, agency, case number, purpose, databases searched, and agencies receiving the information. 7. Establishes criminal and civil penalties for knowingly fabricating evidence, unauthorized surveillance, or misuse of ALPR information. Florida should preserve legitimate law-enforcement tools while protecting innocent citizens from warrantless mass surveillance. Technology should serve constitutional government—not circumvent it.