Pasco County terminates license plate reader camera agreement

26 August 2026.

Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco announced the termination of an interlocal agreement permitting the Sheriff's Office to operate automated license plate reader cameras in county rights-of-way, effective September 30, 2026. The agreement, which had been unanimously approved in December 2024, will be dissolved following public opposition and commissioner concerns about privacy and data use practices.

During commission meetings on August 11 and August 25, commissioners raised questions about surveillance scope, constitutional implications, and how collected information would be used. Commission Chair Jack Mariano specifically questioned the justification for the program and expressed concerns about data manipulation. Several residents attended meetings to voice opposition to the technology, citing privacy concerns.

The Sheriff's Office had implemented safeguards including a 30-day data retention limit (shorter than the two-year state law maximum) and restrictions limiting searches to felonies and select misdemeanors tied to specific calls for service or case numbers. Sheriff's officials argued the cameras were valuable investigative tools for locating suspects, missing persons, and human trafficking victims. The State Attorney's Office also cited cases where the cameras assisted investigations.

Nocco stated the termination would impact the agency's crime-solving capacity and strain limited resources. However, the agreement's end affects only the Sheriff's Office operations in county rights-of-way. Private entities including community development districts, homeowners associations, retail businesses, and other property owners operate separate license plate readers that remain unaffected. Nocco noted private entities currently operate more license plate readers than the Sheriff's Office.

Readers can check whether their own county has similar interlocal agreements with law enforcement for camera systems and monitor commission meetings for related policy discussions.

Read the original reporting: Tampa Bay 28 (WFTS).