PBSO Wins Exemption for License Plate Readers in Palm Beach

The Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office secured an exemption from Florida officials to operate automated license plate reader cameras on state roads, defying a statewide directive to remove the technology.

Sheriff Ric Bradshaw attributed the exemption to the agency's role protecting President Donald Trump during visits to Mar-a-Lago. The cameras capture license plate data that deputies use to locate vehicles and suspects.

PBSO has deployed the readers for six years in criminal investigations and searches for missing persons. Bradshaw cited their use tracking robbery suspects and the search for Ryan Routh following an apparent assassination attempt against Trump at Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach.

Governor Ron DeSantis ordered the Florida Department of Transportation to remove the cameras from state roads in August. Bradshaw said PBSO filed a brief with the Department of Highway Safety, along with the Secret Service, explaining why the county needed to keep them. Officials granted the exemption.

Bradshaw defended the technology against privacy concerns, saying robust policies and weekly audits prevent misuse. He noted that officers cannot access data for non-investigative purposes and that the cameras capture only a snapshot of a moment in time, not continuous surveillance.

"We've been using them for six years, so he just became part of the system," Bradshaw said, referring to Trump's residence in the county.