Lake County, FL Privacy & Surveillance: License Plate Readers (2026)

Sec. 3-78(a) names 'license plate reader' specifically, alongside video cameras and other surveillance devices, as equipment that cannot be installed on county-owned property, a publicly dedicated right-of-way, or a publicly dedicated easement without Board of County Commissioners authorization. The application process in Sec. 3-78(d) requires a non-exempt applicant to describe the reason for the devices, explain why they can't sit on private property instead, state how many are proposed and where, and disclose their technical capabilities, specifically whether the devices are video-only or license plate readers capable of capturing other personal information, whether that data feeds into a database accessible by others, and who has access to it once collected.

That package goes to the Board of County Commissioners for a vote, and even an approved request still needs a Right-of-Way Utilization Permit, plus whatever fee the board sets for using county property. Notably, the HOA/POA exemption in Sec. 3-78(c)(2) covers only 'video cameras only,' so a homeowners' association cannot install a license plate reader on its internal community roads under that carve-out; an ALPR request from an HOA has to go through the full board-review process like any other applicant. The ordinance does not set a data retention period, a purge schedule, or any policy on sharing captured plate data with federal agencies such as ICE; those terms are left to whatever conditions the Board of County Commissioners attaches when it reviews and authorizes an individual request under subsection (d).