Suspended
Who approved this?
No source names who approved this contract. That gap is common where a purchase cleared without a council vote.
Escambia County Sheriff Chip Simmons suspended his office automated license plate reader program after the Florida Department of Transportation revoked state road permits on August 31, 2026. Simmons said the office had used the technology responsibly but that individual agency policies are not enough on their own. He described the suspension as a chance to settle the privacy questions properly rather than agency by agency. The Pensacola Police Department suspended its own use the same week and said it would wait for the Legislature to set standards. NorthEscambia.com reported both agencies acted independently in response to the state directive and to wider questions about the future of these programs. Neither the camera count nor a contract amount for the sheriff office was released. No county commission vote approving the original purchase appears in any document reviewed.
Use suspended
Camera use is suspended. The contract itself has not been reported terminated.
Not yet in the sources: the contract amount, the camera count, and the approval date. The city or county clerk holds the approval file, and the records request guide gives the wording to ask for it. If you already hold the document, send it in.
What happens next
Renewals are decided in public. Residents can attend the meeting, speak during public comment, and write to the office above through official channels. The ACLU publishes a model cancellation resolution officials can adapt.
Sources
- WUSF report on the Florida Department of Transportation memorandum revoking state road reader permits (August 31, 2026) wusf.org
- NorthEscambia.com report quoting Sheriff Chip Simmons on the suspension (August 31, 2026) northescambia.com
Last verified: September 9, 2026. Something wrong? Request a correction.
The record
The sources do not say who approved this contract. Escambia County Sheriff's Office operates the program.
Status: suspended.
2 sources back this record; each is listed with its date under Sources. Last verified September 9, 2026. The Florida hub holds the state records; the tracker holds them all.
Cite this record
Who Approved This, "Escambia County, FL Flock Contract," whoapprovedthis.org, accessed October 10, 2026, https://whoapprovedthis.org/city/fl-escambia-county/.
Related
Read on
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- Camera locations near Escambia County: DeFlock (external, crowdsourced)
- Agency transparency portal, if published: transparency.flocksafety.com; aggregated at Eyes on Flock