St Petersburg resident protests Flock surveillance network ahead of privacy debate
A retired resident’s legal protest highlights growing tensions over mass surveillance technology, as the company behind the cameras reports significant revenue growth and law enforcement expands its use of the data.
Carl Gunn, a 77-year-old Republican resident of St. Petersburg, Florida, conducted a solo protest on July 25, 2026, against Flock surveillance cameras installed in his Coquina Key neighbourhood. Gunn, concerned about privacy and mass surveillance, sat in front of a camera mounted on a 12-foot pole with a sign reading “DOWN WITH FLOCK CAMERAS.” The protest drew support from passersby and was briefly questioned by police officers. Flock cameras, operated by a private company since 2022, use AI to automatically collect license plate data and vehicle details, a practice critics argue constitutes unconstitutional mass surveillance.
Gunn utilised a pool skimmer as a makeshift pole and a camping chair for his demonstration, marking his second protest against the technology after a similar action a week prior. The event drew support from passersby, who offered shade and refreshments, and was briefly questioned by two St. Petersburg police officers. Footage shared with Creative Loafing Tampa Bay shows police cruisers stopping beside Gunn, with one officer reportedly shouting, “Yo, what’s your name? I’ll come bail you out!”
Flock cameras are operated by a private, for-profit company and have been present in St. Petersburg since 2022. The technology uses AI to automatically read license plates, collect vehicle details, and store data in a searchable database accessible to law enforcement nationwide. Critics, including civil liberties organisations and bipartisan lawmakers, argue the cameras constitute unprecedented mass surveillance that threatens personal freedom. The ACLU has previously stated that constant government surveillance of citizens differs significantly from traditional police observation.
The company’s commercial expansion has been significant, with Flock surpassing $300 million in annual recurring revenue in early 2025, according to TDG wealth management. Founded in 2017, the firm has expanded its reach, with law enforcement agencies, including immigration agents, able to request data access. St. Petersburg police have used the cameras to search for suspects in federal investigations targeting noncitizens, vandalism cases, and littering.
Alternative tools such as the DeFlock website and FlockHopper app allow users to navigate around camera locations. Gunn claimed that reports indicate Chinese entities have accessed voter registration data, a claim experts have noted is common and does not necessarily indicate election interference. The protest underscores the tension between public safety tools and individual privacy rights in an era of automated data collection.
