On 16–17 September 2026, St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick defended the office's use of Flock Safety license plate readers at a budget hearing, citing crime-solving successes. He disclosed that neighborhoods and homeowners associations in the county operate at least 100 additional readers independently.
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St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick made a passionate defense of the department’s use of the Flock Safety license plate reader system at Tuesday’s county budget hearing, detailing crimes solved by the technology while acknowledging the department needed to tighten its data practices.
St. Johns County Sheriff Rob Hardwick says neighborhoods and homeowners associations own at least 100 license plate readers separate from the sheriff’s office system. The technology has divided residents, while questions remain about who controls the data and the circumstances surrounding an LPR installed near Hardwick’s home after reported threats.
As the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office Flock cameras come down, Sheriff Rob Hardwick says neighborhoods and homeowners associations are leaving theirs up.