Miami Beach Mayor Steven Meiner's defense of Flock license plate readers drew online criticism after state transportation officials on Monday, Aug. 31, ordered the cameras removed from Florida roads.

Meiner posted on X late that night, calling the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) order "a hit to public safety" and vowing to bring legislation to "take back control of our roads from the State." By Tuesday morning, the post had drawn more than 24,000 views and more than 150 comments, most of them critical of the mayor's stance, Miami New Times reported.

The backlash centers on privacy. Commenters called the cameras "warrantless mass surveillance" and accused Meiner of supporting a dragnet on law-abiding drivers.

But a key question hangs over Meiner's push: it is unclear which cameras he is trying to save. The Miami Beach Police Department does not partner with Flock Safety, the main company behind the readers, the Miami Herald reported. The handful of Flock cameras in the city were installed by homeowner associations, a city spokesperson told the Herald. Meiner's office did not answer the Herald's emailed questions Tuesday.

Miami Beach officials also did not respond to Miami New Times' questions about how many cameras the city has or how many crimes they have helped solve.

A crowdsourced map maintained by DeFlock.org, a volunteer project that tracks the devices, shows six Flock cameras in Miami Beach. They sit near Alton Road and 14th Street, on Dade Boulevard near North Michigan Avenue, on the Julia Tuttle Causeway and near 72nd Street and Harding Avenue. The map is volunteer-reported and has not been confirmed by the city.

Meiner continued his push Tuesday, Sept. 1, posting on X that he had sent a letter to state officials and that several mayors had joined him in signing it. That follow-up post drew 207 replies and about 8,300 views. NBC Miami reported that several South Florida mayors joined the request.

The state is moving in the opposite direction. FDOT's Aug. 31 memorandum, signed by FDOT Chief Operating Officer and Assistant Secretary Will Watts, revoked all active permits for license plate readers on state roads and gave agencies 30 days to remove them, the Orlando Sentinel reported. FDOT said it would pull any remaining devices itself after the deadline, around Sept. 30.

Gov. Ron DeSantis backed the order. "What we don't want in the state of Florida is to have a digital AI surveillance state where everything we're doing is being tracked at all times," DeSantis said Tuesday, according to the Herald.

Miami-Dade Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz said her office would comply immediately, according to Local 10. Jacksonville Sheriff T.K. Waters also announced immediate removal of all license plate reader systems.

Volunteers have logged more than 1,500 Flock cameras across South Florida, including over 300 in Miami-Dade County, according to Miami New Times' earlier reporting on the DeFlock map.

No commission agenda item or bill filing has been announced for Meiner's promised legislation. The 2027 Florida legislative session opens in January.