Here's a local and state news update from Florida Today and WFIT. I'm Evan Niemczyk.
Only the Flock company can remove the controversial cameras. WFIT’s Terri Wright tells us why.
"Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers are facing growing scrutiny over privacy concerns. The systems capture license plates and vehicle details, which can be shared through Flock’s law-enforcement network.
Florida has banned the use of license plate readers on state highways, but cities and counties can decide whether to use them on local roads. According to an interactive map, nearly 9,680 Flock cameras and other ALPRs were reported in Florida as of Friday.
Franklin County Sheriff A.J. “Tony” Smith shut down his county’s system after deciding to stop using the cameras. But because the county leases the equipment, Flock says it controls the physical removal of the cameras."
Jacksonville state Representative Angie Nixon says charges stemming from her May arrest in the Florida Capitol have been resolved.
The Democratic nominee in Florida's U.S. Senate race says she won't plead guilty but will serve 15 hours of community service. She'll also pay a two hundred and fifty dollar fine.
Nixon was arrested after staging a sit-in at Governor Ron DeSantis' office. She was protesting Florida's new congressional map that benefits Republicans.
You might have thought with all the rain we've been getting lately that our drought would be over. WUSF's Steve Newborn reports the water district says it's not - and so Tuesday it extended watering restrictions again
"Rainfall for the past year has been more than 15 inches below normal. So the Southwest Florida Water Management District has extended our one-day-a-week outdoor watering restrictions through the spring.
The region's rivers and lakes - many of which supply drinking water - have not recovered, says the district's April Breton.
"All of our drought indicators within our district are below their normal range. The lake levels throughout the district are mostly below their low normal levels. The supply levels in our regional reservoirs have started to increase, however, additional quantities are needed to prepare for the dry season."
Still, she expects heavier-than-normal rain this fall and winter because of El Nino.
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office is asking for 12 point 6 million dollars from a federal immigration enforcement fund, so the agency can develop a network of drones to help it gather intelligence more quickly.
County commissioners gave the agency the O-K to apply for the money earlier Tuesday, as Central Florida Public Media’s Molly Duerig reports.
"The federal funds are part of the Trump administration’s larger focus on immigration enforcement. But the sheriff’s office says the money doesn’t **have to be used for that.
The agency wants to create what’s called a “Drone as First Responder” — or D-F-R — system, with seven fixed sites from which preplaced drones could launch remotely. The agency also wants to expand its existing fleet of drones assigned to deputies’ patrol cars, from 11 drones up to 26. Eustis resident Cindy Newton says she worries about heightened public surveillance.
“This will probably start off as what it's supposed to be. What's it going to be in five years? Are these just going to go out on routine calls? … Constantly recording everything they see?”
The sheriff’s office says its proposed D-F-R program could launch drones to help locate missing people, or relay information about an incident to deputies before they arrive at a scene.
In Orlando, I’m Molly Duerig"
For these stories and more, visit FloridaToday.com and WFIT.org. I'm Evan Niemczyk