Royal Oaks residents split over nighttime license checks and license‑plate readers

Council members and staff heard sharply divided views during a Miami Lakes workshop on whether guard houses should ask for drivers’ licenses at night and whether license‑plate‑reader (LPR) charges belong in district budgets.

Proponents framed the measure as a public‑safety deterrent. Lydia Hernandez, a Royal Oaks East resident, told the council she felt vulnerable after several nearby vehicle thefts and said asking for license information at night would help: “we feel like we're sitting ducks in our neighborhood,” she said. Manny Lopez, a resident who owns a private security company, described gate security as “just a visual deterrent” and urged the town to put services out to bid and consider operational changes, including resident access modules, that would reduce guard workload.

Opponents included Homer (Homero) Cruz, president of…