DYSTOPIAN // FLORIDA

Florida › County Record › Gulf

Gulf County

Vendor program advertised. 2 records requests filed.

What third-party research already names

Vendors documented as operating here

Some of these vendors are recorded as operating in Gulf County by the EFF Atlas of Surveillance, a public research project run by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and the University of Nevada, Reno. That is third-party research: it tells you what to ask about, not what has been confirmed. Others were confirmed by the agency itself, in its own documents or in writing, in response to a Chapter 119 request. The right-hand column says which is which for every row.

VendorSinceWhat it doesHow it came to light
Flock Safety202110 plate readers. The Department runs roughly 30 searches a month. A policy governing those searches was adopted in August 2026; audit records were not kept before that.Confirmed in writing by the agency, August 2026
Flock Safety, other agencies in this countyReported device counts: Gulf County SO 11.EFF Atlas of Surveillance (third-party research) - not yet confirmed by a records production

What we obtained ourselves

What the agencies told us

Every line below came from a Chapter 119 public records request we filed with that agency. It is the agency’s own document or its own written answer, not research by anyone else.

BodyTypeRoleWhat they said
Port St. Joe Police DepartmentMunicipal policeOperates 10 Flock plate readers with 12 officers"Although the Department has used Flock since 2021, we only recently began maintaining the audit records."

Axon Community Connect

Axon lists 0 Community Connect program(s) in Gulf County. Community Connect is a voluntary program that lets residents and businesses register or integrate private security cameras with local law enforcement. Registering means police know the camera exists and can request footage. Integrating means the feed goes to them directly.

ProgramPlaceRegistered camerasIntegrated cameras

This is a starting point, not a finding.

2 public records requests have been filed with agencies in this county under Chapter 119, beginning August 25, 2026, asking what surveillance technology they operate, what it costs, how long data is kept, and who else can search it. 2 still awaiting a substantive response.

Being named in the Atlas is not evidence of wrongdoing. It is evidence that the technology exists here and that the public record has not yet caught up with it. What each agency actually operates, what it costs, how long data is kept, and who else can search it are the questions the requests below were sent to answer.

The record so far

What has been asked, and when

August 25, 2026
Records request filed - Gulf County Board of County Commissioners

A Chapter 119 request for surveillance technology records was submitted to Gulf County Board of County Commissioners by records portal. Reference 26-173. Section 119.07(1)(c) requires a prompt, good-faith response.

August 25, 2026
Records request filed - Gulf County Sheriff's Office

A Chapter 119 request for surveillance technology records was submitted to Gulf County Sheriff's Office by email. Section 119.07(1)(c) requires a prompt, good-faith response.

Section 119.07(1)(c), Florida Statutes, requires a prompt, good-faith response to each of these. Silence is itself part of the record.

Ask these two

Who to send it to

Buys and operates cameras
Gulf County Sheriff's Office
County seat: Port St. Joe
Elected
Funds it, permits installs
Gulf County Commission
Budget line items, purchasing records
Elected

The public records request that forced Sumter County's agencies to answer is ready to copy. Use it here, and name the vendors listed above.

Get the letter →

County seat Port St. Joe. Last checked 2026-08-25.