Local news: Lake County not down with red-light cameras

EYES ON YOU

ILLUSTRATION BY MELISSA MCHENRY

Lake County commissioners call for removal of surveillance cameras that they never approved

BY ALEX GALBRAITH

The trend in recent years has been toward unending surveillance. Phones, smart microphones, cameras in doorbells and the ever-present traffic cams have brought just about every corner of modern life under the eye of someone, with any pushback on it seen as crank behavior. In such a grim landscape, even a minor bit of resistance to private companies putting up cameras can feel like a win.

That’s what happened in Lake County last week when commissioners reacted with outrage to a series of traffic cameras put up without their permission. The county ordered Flock Safety to remove the cameras that recorded license plate and vehicle details. The cameras were installed as part of a pilot program with the county sheriff’s office, but the commission was never consulted.

“It’s shocking they even put them in places where they never would’ve been approved in the first place had they gotten the appropriate approval,” said Commissioner Josh Blacke.

Flock called the episode a “miscommunication” and vowed to remove the cameras quickly.

“Flock Safety contracted directly with the Lake County Sheriff’s Office, and we worked with their team to select locations. Cameras were installed a few weeks ago. Not all locations require permits, and there was an honest miscommunication about the need for permits at some of these sites,” they told WKMG. “Since we learned of this mistake, we are starting to remove all the cameras immediately. We have installed thousands of cameras around the country, including all over Florida, and our team moves very quickly.”

LCSO terminated the program following the commission’s decision.

Reporting by Orlando Weekly in 2019 showed the extent to which surveillance has penetrated everyday life in Central Florida. Purchased for $1 billion by Amazon (reportedly as a way to save money on stolen deliveries), Ring doorbell and outdoor security devices let people remotely see, hear and talk to whoever is at their door. The company also has an app called Neighbors, in which users post videos and report things they see and hear in their neighborhood. Ring is now joining forces with law enforcement, allowing officers to talk directly to Neighbors users and ask for footage.

Since at least mid-2018, Ring has teamed with law enforcement all over the country to encourage residents to purchase and use Ring and Neighbors.

Civil liberties advocates worry the streaming cameras and chatroom app might turn citizens into informants, and that police access to large swatches of video could lead to trampling of privacy rights. The Neighbors app is similar to NextDoor and Google Play’s Citizen in that users have been found to often rely on racial stereotypes in determining suspicion.

Additional reporting by Solomon Gustavo.

news@orlandoweekly.com

¶ Florida man arrested for threatening to bomb Walt Disney World executives

A 31-year-old man from Seminole, Florida was arrested last week for threatening to blow up the homes of Walt Disney World executives.

According to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office, Steven Jordan created a Twitter account on Aug. 8 and used it to make threats against several companies. Before the account was suspended by Twitter, Jordan sent more than 130 tweets to corporations including Disney and video game maker Activision. He tagged Disney’s official account and said “we will blow up all of your execs houses with C4.” Jordan further threatened to “toss a hand grenade threw [sic] their loft window.”

Jordan admitted to authoring the tweets when questioned by authorities. He is currently being held at a Pinellas County Jail and facing a charge of threatening to throw, place or discharge a destructive device.

PCSO detectives noted in their news release that Jordan was previously charged with a similar crime in 2019 for falsely reporting a bomb. — Alex Galbraith

¶ Altamonte Springs mom fatally shot by toddler while on Zoom call

A Florida mom was fatally shot by her toddler while taking part in a Zoom call last Wednesday.

According to the Altamonte Springs Police Department, 21-year-old Shamaya Lynn was on a conference call when her child found the loaded weapon. Co-workers called police after hearing the gunshot and seeing Lynn fall out of frame. When police arrived at Lynn’s home, they found her with a gunshot wound to the head and were unable to revive her.

“Investigators determined that the injury was caused by a toddler who found a loaded handgun, which was left unsecured by an adult in the apartment,” said ASPD officer Rob Ruiz in a news release.

The gun belonged to the toddler’s father, according to a report from WKMG. The local authorities have not determined if the gun owner should face any charges. — AG

¶ Orange County government suspends youth sports as coronavirus positivity rate tops 20 percent

Orange County is suspending all county-run youth sports leagues effective immediately.

Mayor Jerry Demings announced the move during a regular briefing last Thursday, noting that the COVID-19 positivity rate in the county was above 20 percent. The previous benchmark for removing mask mandates and social distancing guidelines in the county was 5 percent.

While vaccination numbers have been climbing in Orange County, the children who take part in many county-run youth sports are not eligible for vaccination. “Due to the spike in the COVID cases and the fact that our residents ages 11 and under are not eligible for a vaccine, all countyrun youth sports leagues, including games and practices, are suspended until further notice,” Demings said. — AG

¶ Orlando Museum of Art is (just temporarily) closed

Orlando Museum of Art has temporarily shut its doors for more than a month for an extended summer break. “We will be closed … in preparation for our exciting new exhibition installations and gallery renovations,” read a recent communiqué from the museum. According to OMA’s website, they will reopen with a new slate of exhibits — including Cathedrals of Florida, a photographic collection from Clyde Butcher; and Luces y Sombras, a survey of works of photography from Mexico from the 1930 to the present — on Friday, Sept. 24. — Matthew Moyer