08/28/2026
🚨 PASCO COUNTY — THE CAMERAS MAY BE COMING DOWN, BUT THE SURVEILLANCE FIGHT CONTINUES! 🚨
I want to give everybody an update on what’s happening here in Pasco County when it comes to surveillance and our privacy.
After a lot of public pressure and community pushback, Sheriff Chris Nocco announced that the agreement for Flock license plate reader cameras on county roads is being terminated.
That is a BIG WIN for our Fourth Amendment rights and our right to privacy. ✊🏾
But I’m telling everybody right now — DON’T LET YOUR GUARD DOWN.
Because while the cameras on the ground are coming down, there is another proposal that we need to be paying very close attention to.
Documents show a push for a $9 MILLION federal disaster-recovery grant (CDBG-DR) to create a countywide Drone as First Responder (DFR) Network — including 21 permanent autonomous drone docks and 22 additional aircraft.
💰✈️ THE DRONE SURVEILLANCE PROPOSAL:
The proposal was brought before the Pasco County Board of County Commissioners, and the funding for these drones was NOT approved.
That is another important win.
BUT THE SURVEILLANCE THREAT ISN’T GONE.
The proposal is still out there, and disaster and storm-mitigation funding could still be targeted toward building a permanent aerial surveillance system across Pasco County.
And these aren’t just regular cameras.
The proposed Flock DFR system includes:
🔹 Aerial ALPR & 2,000-foot zoom — technology capable of reading license plates and collecting vehicle information from the air.
🔹 Thermal & low-light technology — allowing surveillance of vehicles and individuals at night and in low-light conditions.
🔹 Automated drone docks — drones could launch automatically, travel up to 60 mph, and cover as much as 50 square miles per unit before officers on the ground even arrive.
So let’s be clear about what we’re looking at:
They’re taking the cameras off the ground, but we have to make sure they don’t replace them with an even more invasive surveillance system in the sky.
I don’t want a temporary pause.
I want permanent protections for the people of Pasco County against mass tracking and automated license plate surveillance — whether that surveillance is happening on our roads or in our skies.
🗣️ TAKE ACTION TO PROTECT OUR PRIVACY:
1️⃣ CALL & EMAIL YOUR COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Contact them before their next meeting and let them know you want:
✅ The drone funding rejected
✅ No permanent aerial surveillance network
✅ Strong protections against mass tracking
✅ A complete ban on automated license plate readers (ALPRs)
2️⃣ SHOW UP!
📅 September 9
📍 Dade City
Let’s pack the chambers and make sure our elected officials hear directly from the people.
3️⃣ SHARE THIS POST
A lot of people don’t know what is being proposed. We have to stay informed, stay engaged and make sure decisions involving our privacy aren’t being made without the community knowing.
This isn’t about being against law enforcement.
This is about accountability, privacy and making sure technology doesn’t get ahead of our constitutional rights.
Pasco County belongs to the people — and we have a right to know what is being done in our communities.
✊🏾 THE GROUND CAMERAS ARE COMING DOWN. NOW LET’S STOP THE DRONES.
📞 PASCO COUNTY COMMISSIONERS
Chairman Mariano — District 5
(727) 847-2411
[email protected]
Ron Oakley — District 1
(352) 521-4111
[email protected]
Seth Weightman — District 2
(352) 521-4111
[email protected]
Kathryn Starkey — District 3
(727) 847-2411
[email protected]
Lisa Yeager — District 4
(727) 847-2411
[email protected]
📧 General Comments:
[email protected]
(Emails sent here go to the Board members.)
