St. Johns County Sheriff Robert Hardwick says he will fight to restore license plate reader technology after county commissioners voted 3-2 on Tuesday, Oct. 20, to revoke permits for the cameras on county roads.

"I believe the decision made at the county commission meeting encroaches on my ability to keep our community safe," Hardwick said in a statement released after the vote, as first reported by Action News Jax.

The vote requires removal of 89 license plate readers (LPRs) from county rights-of-way, according to the Sheriff's Office. No date has been set for when the cameras will be disabled.

As we reported Oct. 20, Commissioner Christian Whitehurst made the motion. Commissioner Sarah Arnold seconded it, and Commissioner Ann Taylor supported it. Commissioners Krista Joseph and Clay Murphy voted against removal, according to SJ Citizen.

The Sheriff's Office had already removed 84 readers from state rights-of-way in September after the Florida Department of Transportation ordered them taken down. Cameras on private property and those operated by homeowners associations are not affected by either action.

Hardwick pushes back

In his statement, Hardwick said crime victims had been "lost in the conversation" during the debate. He said the technology is effective and pledged to continue working to bring it back to St. Johns County. He did not specify whether that effort would come through a future commission vote, state legislation or another path.

The Sheriff's Office said it supports state legislation that would set clear standards for the technology.

The agency said it had already tightened safeguards before the vote, cutting data retention from one year to 30 days, requiring supervisory approval for searches and ending automatic data sharing with outside agencies, according to News4Jax.

Sheriff's Office Director Skip Cole told commissioners the agency's internal review found one case of misuse: a detective used the system to track a vehicle he was buying, according to SJ Citizen.

Emotional testimony preceded the vote

The meeting drew residents on both sides. Forrest Bailey, father of Tristyn Bailey, the 13-year-old St. Johns County cheerleader murdered by a classmate in 2021, urged commissioners to keep the cameras. He said he first learned about license plate readers while his daughter was missing.

Whitehurst said the issue was not whether deputies could be trusted but whether safeguards were sufficient. He favored revoking permits until state lawmakers set clearer rules.

Arnold said she would stand with Gov. Ron DeSantis, who ordered readers removed from state roads. Joseph called the technology essential and said she would not risk the safety of any child or person in the county. Chairman Clay Murphy said he could not support suspending the cameras while safeguards were still being determined.

Hardwick cited 2026 department figures showing 29 stolen vehicles recovered, 35 wanted people arrested, 62 people charged and 35 missing people recovered using the technology, according to News4Jax.

No removal timeline has been announced.