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Residents urge Pensacola council to end Flock camera contract, question use of opioid-settlement funds
Summary
At the Leroy Boyd public forum March 26, multiple residents demanded the city terminate its contract with Flock (automatic license-plate readers), raised technical-security and civil-liberties concerns, and questioned the use of opioid-abatement settlement money to pay for surveillance.
At the March 26 Pensacola City Council Leroy Boyd public forum, seven residents urged the council to terminate the city's contract with Flock, an automated license-plate-reader system, and demanded transparency about why opioid-settlement funds were used to buy the cameras.
"This is a system that is not secure that anyone can hack," Sam Epstein said, describing the system as "blanket surveillance" that retains every plate for 30 days. Epstein said he found security weaknesses in other cities' Flock portals and urged Pensacola to remove all cameras and end the contract.
Hirasal Alfonso said the contract was signed without council approval and argued opioid-abatement money should not finance surveillance. "We do not want this company in Pensacola," Alfonso said, citing lawsuits and what the speaker described as cases where the technology led to wrongful arrests in other jurisdictions.
Several other commenters made related points. Chanson Brummet pressed the mayor and council for the research and legal analysis underlying the decision to deploy the cameras, asking specifically what options were weighed and whether the spending was lawful. Emil Soule focused on process, saying residents were not consulted before installation and that decisions using opioid funds should clearly prioritize abating opioid harms. Pepper Weimer urged immediate removal of the systems and said the public deserves clarity on what laws were reviewed.
Council members acknowledged the public concerns during later agenda items. Council member Revere noted Flock data had been used to help detectives narrow a local arrest, while other council members and speakers said their legal review suggested the purchase may not be unlawful but that access controls, data sharing and the choice of funding source raised legitimate public-policy and oversight questions.
No vote or formal council action on the Flock contract occurred during the meeting. Mayor (name not specified) and staff repeatedly told council they had been in discussions with Florida Commerce and other partners on separate grant matters; city staff did not present a council-authorized motion to pause or terminate the Flock agreement during the session.
What's next: Speakers asked the council for documented research and legal review. Several residents said they will return to future meetings if the city does not provide clearer public answers or move to end the contract.
