The Nassau Bay City Council on Oct. 16 authorized the city manager to execute a contract with Verkada for a hardwired camera system covering city parks and selected areas of the waterways, approving the measure on a 4–3 vote.

Council members and staff weighed two competing proposals during a lengthy discussion. Paul (city staff) said Verkada’s proposal for the four parks came to $69,844.85, and an expanded scope that included the Nassau Bay Cove and finger piers was quoted at $89,856.81. A Flock Systems option was described to council as a subscription service at about $31,500 per year (approximately $94,500 over three years) that would not include facial‑recognition features for parks and waterways.

“It's a major advantage for us to have [facial recognition] … We have the guy now,” Mayor Johnson said, arguing that the capability would help identify repeat offenders and aid enforcement, particularly after a recent incident involving multiple boats left in the cove. Opponents raised privacy and legal questions: one council member said, “I really don't understand why facial recognition is a discerner here,” reflecting discomfort with using a system that could identify individuals by face rather than relying on video and license‑plate reads.

Police leadership and councilmembers discussed trade‑offs. The police chief noted Flock already provides license‑plate readers the department uses and that Flock had offered to pilot additional cameras, while supporters of Verkada emphasized a hardwired system’s reliability (rather than solar power) and Verkada’s longer detection range in vendor demonstrations.

After debate about data sharing, storage and the legalities of facial recognition, Councilmember (speaker 10) moved to approve the Verkada contract; Ashley seconded the motion. The motion carried 4–3.

Votes at a glance:
• Consent agenda (minutes and second reading of water‑sewer ordinance): approved by consent (voice vote reported in favor).
• Verkada camera contract: approved 4–3.
• Motion to adjourn: passed following executive session.

What’s next: The city manager is authorized to execute the Verkada agreement and staff will coordinate installation and follow up on legal questions about facial‑recognition features and interagency data sharing. Councilmembers said they expect to monitor system performance and privacy implications going forward.