A free online tool is letting South Florida residents see reported locations of automated license plate reader cameras. The crowdsourced map shows devices in and around Coral Gables and South Miami, but it is not an official inventory.

A volunteer-built, incomplete map

Volunteers using DeFlock Maps have logged reported camera locations across South Florida. The Miami Herald reported nearly 400 Flock Safety cameras in Miami-Dade County and more than 800 in Broward County. Miami New Times reported more than 300 mapped cameras in South Florida. Anyone can visit the site, enter an address and view reported camera locations nearby.

The Miami Herald reported that the Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office and police departments in Miami, Miami Gardens, Miami Beach, Hollywood and Fort Lauderdale did not immediately respond to its inquiries about Flock contracts or partnerships. The report did not identify the Coral Gables Police Department or the South Miami Police Department as among the agencies that did not respond.

How the cameras work

The cameras capture images of passing vehicles, including rear license plates, and upload the information to a searchable database. Flock Safety says its automated license plate reader cameras can identify details including a vehicle's make, model, color and distinctive features such as bumper stickers. The company says its cameras do not identify faces, people, gender or race.

Flock previously said data was retained for 30 days by default. On Aug. 13, the company announced a seven-day default retention period, while agencies may set a different period under their contracts and applicable policies.

Nearby departments say cameras help solve crimes

Miami-Dade Sheriff's Office Maj. George Perera said in a Flock Safety video posted in March that the agency's Electronic Crimes Task Force analyzed the technology and found it secure. "We feel confident in the product to be able to continue to have a relationship," Perera said.

Pinecrest Police Chief Jason Cohen, speaking to the Pinecrest Tribune on Aug. 11, cited a case with a Coral Gables connection: "We had a family that came home from a restaurant in Coral Gables who were followed and robbed in their driveway for their expensive watches at gunpoint. If not for ALPRs, we would have never been able to solve that case."

Pinecrest Police operated 28 Flock readers as of September 2025, according to the Pinecrest Tribune. DeFlock's reported map listings may differ from agencies' official camera counts.

Governor's race and ACLU campaign amplify privacy concerns

The debate has reached Florida's governor's race. Republican front-runner Byron Donalds called for a "full pause" on Flock camera contracts, citing constitutional concerns. Florida Today reported the statement, and other Florida reporting confirmed it.

At least 82 Flock contracts in 28 states were terminated between August 2021 and May 2026, according to reporting cited by GovTech. Thirty-nine ended in the first five months of 2026 — not nearly half in the first six months.

The ACLU launched its national "Get the Flock Out" campaign in August. Its toolkit includes public-records-request guidance and model local-policy materials intended to help residents challenge or regulate automated license plate reader programs.

Camera vandalism reported in Fort Lauderdale and beyond

Vandalism has followed. In Fort Lauderdale, police said two Flock cameras in the Croissant Park neighborhood were found cut down July 6, with the cameras described as "melted and slashed." The city estimated $6,000 in damage, and no arrests had been made when Miami New Times reported the case. The Guardian identified at least 33 apparent cases of Flock camera damage or destruction in 23 states.

How residents can check the map or raise concerns

DeFlock Maps is available at maps.deflock.org. Its camera locations come from volunteers and the OpenStreetMap community, not a government agency or Flock Safety. The map can be incomplete, outdated or imprecise; it also includes some cameras made by companies other than Flock.

Residents seeking information or wishing to raise concerns can contact the Coral Gables Police Department at 305-442-1600 or the South Miami Police Department's nonemergency dispatch at 305-663-6301.