Polk County, FL Flock Contract

Who approved this?

No source names who approved this contract. That gap is common where a purchase cleared without a council vote.

The Polk County Sheriff's Office has deployed 73 Flock Safety license plate reader cameras since September 2022. WTSP reported the agency paid roughly 146,000 dollars in initial payments and carries roughly 146,000 dollars in recurring annual fees across several contracts with terms running 42 to 43 months, all funded from the sheriff's own budget. The amount shown is the recurring annual figure; the initial payment total is a separate number of about the same size, and the sources do not add them into one lifetime value. The sheriff's office declined interviews and released heavily redacted contract documents, citing an exemption for surveillance techniques under Florida Statute chapter 119, even though contract information is generally subject to disclosure under that same law. Sheriff Grady Judd began removing the affected cameras by September 1, 2026, and expects to finish inside the 30 day window set by the Florida Department of Transportation memo that chief operating officer Will Watts signed on August 31, 2026, revoking state right of way permits. Judd said publicly he will keep using readers that sit outside state road rights of way. No approving body, vote tally, retention period or audit requirement has been published for the Polk County program.