The Florida Roundup - New report details abuses at ‘Alligator Alcatraz,' Florida rolls back Flock and more

Episode Date: September 18, 2026

This week on The Florida Roundup, we spoke with Your Florida state government team reporter Meghan Bowman about a new report detailing the state’s spending on immigration efforts and another highlighted abuses at the now defunct migrant detention center in the Everglades (00:00). Then, Sen. Shevrin Jones joined us to talk about what he saw when he visited the center (12:10). Plus, as Florida rolls back its use of Flock cameras and other Automated License Plate Readers, we spoke with Juan Caro, senior fellow for Law & Justice at the America First Policy Institute, about how the technology could better be employed (20:02 ) and then checked in with the Franklin County Sheriff about his efforts to remove the cameras there (28:14). And later, some news around education (37:16) and artificial intelligence, and a look at how a nonprofit is using group board game sessions to improve the mental health of its participants (42:58).

This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Carlton Gillespie. Alligator Alcatraz. In many ways, the now defunct facility that straddled the border of Miami-Dade and Collier counties was the face of Florida's immigration enforcement efforts. It lasted just under a year and detained around 21,000 immigrants during its operation. But even as soon as it opened, detainees began revealing the extreme conditions. That's a phone call from a detainee. inside the facility in July of 2025 just after it opened. That's thanks to reporting from our member station WLRN in Miami. Detainees told WLRN that people were placed in what guards called the box, a small cage in the recreational area and in the Florida Sun for hours at a time. When the reporting came out, a spokesperson from the Division of Emergency Management called it false. But a new report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Office of the Department of

the Inspector General has confirmed that reporting and more. The report released last Friday says detainees were not given adequate living space, recreation time, and even access to clean water. In response, Florida Governor Ronda Santis has said he hasn't read the report from the OIG, but assumed the finding would be overblown. His communications director, Alex Lanfranconi, said, quote, we'd make it even smaller if we could. A second report detailing the conditions at the Chrome Avenue Detention Center in Miami detailed similar issues of overcrowding and improper food safety standards. All of this news comes as the state division of emergency management has evaporated its coffers. The DEM has spent nearly a billion

dollars in the past year and was just granted an additional $250 million, mostly to cover immigration-related expenses. Here's State Rep Anna Eskimani's assessment of their spending. This agency was given a blank check, acted irresponsibly, just got more money of your tax dollars. According to DEM officials, if Florida is hit by two major storms this year, they'll be in the red by about $1.5 billion. What are your thoughts about the findings of these federal inspection reports? Is the state spending its money wisely here?

call us 305-955-1800 or send us an email radio at the florida roundup dot org joining us to talk about this from our partner station w usf in tampa is megan bowman megan you're on the florida roundup hey there thanks for having me of course so let's start here i mean what does this report will focus on the report from alligator alcatraz what does this say the conditions were like in the facility? Yeah, so the surprise inspection happened back in January. Inspectors documented what they saw. They talked to staff and detainees. Now, that said it was unclear what standards were in place, right? Was it Florida, ICE federal standards?

So inspectors looked at both of those benchmarks and applied the more restrictive ones to support their findings. So the facility did comply with intake. and use of force. But it was not found in compliance with six other benchmarks, including environmental health and safety, food safety, and clean drinking water, personal hygiene, recreation, and medical care. So one major finding you kind of touched on was the use of these small metal cages. They refer to them as calming areas.

These enclosures are slightly larger than a port of potty, about 18 square feet of floor space. From July of last year until the inspection date, 79 detainees were held in these cages for up to two hours at a time. Inspectors called the use of them unprecedented and said it, you know, presented significant risk to detainees' health and safety. Apart from that, each housing unit had at least one five-gallon container of drinking

water that detainees were supposed to fill their own personal drinking cups from. The detainees told inspectors, one, that water was dirty, and then two, they didn't have access to even clean those cups. So the detention center has been closed since June, but this inspection was done all the way, like you said, back in January. Why are we just now getting this report? Well, inspectors say the findings were delayed due to a lapse in appropriation for DHS from mid-February through the end of April. I will say I reached out to DHS for comment on the report to find out more about the delay but did not get a response. So how do the findings in this report track with what the state has described was going on in these facilities? And you mentioned

that the reports also, in addition to pointing out these violations, had some recommendations to improve the conditions at the center. Can you tell us, one, what the dichotomy between what was reported and what the state said? And two, what some of the recommendations to bring this facility up to standards were. Sure. You know, a lot doesn't really track with what the state has said and what was found. So on Monday, DeSantis was in Lakeland, and although he hadn't read it yet, he said he visited the site before it even opened and told staff he thought the standards they were

building to were, quote, overkill. And then, you know, he added it was built to not just meet federal standards, but exceed them. This report tells a different story, though. When it was built last summer, the state talked a lot about having law libraries, legal materials, and telephone calls readily available to detainees. The report found that just wasn't the case. So inspectors found people there did not have access to any of those things and confirmed there were telephones, but that they didn't work. Now, as far as the recommendations, there were 10 of them, and of course none were implemented, right? Because like you said, it closed.

in June. But, you know, some of their recommendations were to limit the housing units to know more than 11 detainees instead of more than double that, to immediately discontinue the use of cages to hold anyone for any reason or for any amount of time, comply with food service standards and provide detainees with access to clean drinking water and cups, and implement daily shower schedules and ensure the facilities are maintained free. of pests and vermin in accordance with hygiene standards. So, you know, the report said they could only take showers a few times a week. Did the report give any clarity?

You mentioned there was some miscommunication between which agency actually oversaw operations or to which standards they were supposed to be operated. Is there any clarity provided in the report as to who was really in charge there? So that was really interesting in it. inspector said staff told them it was quote so gray as to whose place this is and which standards to follow. So no. You know, the report said the absence of those well-defined standards increased the risk that the detainees may not have received appropriate care. But there were federal agents operating or stationed at that facility, no?

I mean, it's really unclear. I'm pretty sure it was just state. Okay. So what about some of these other immigration detention centers in Florida? We mentioned that there is a report out from the Chrome facility, but not one yet on the one in Baker County that's been dubbed Detention Depot. Does this report mean that the state could, you know, potentially learn a lesson as it moves forward with Detention Depot or with Chrome facilities

that are still in operation? Oh, possibly. I mean, that was not, the Chrome report was not. that great either. You know, they found the detention center was seriously overcrowded. And they actually did not comply with use of force or have adequate systems for medical grievances or provide the minimum required number of working toilets, sinks and showers. But it does say that ICE did take action in August on those nine recommendations. There's still six left open. And so it took, but it took six months for these reports to even come out on these facilities and even longer to implement

these kind of things. You said it was because there was a funding oversight at DHS? That's what the report said. So they had an interruption in funding, which meant they couldn't author the report, even though they had already done the inspection. That is how I took it. You know, again, I reached out for clarity and did not receive a response. Okay. Let's move on to the way to what DEM is now asking for and getting from the state legislator, they need more money to fill their emergency coffers. What is the state before this recent allocation of $250 million? Just how low were the emergency funds for this department? Well, as of right now, they have about just under $6.5 million left. And how much would they, how much did they have in it, let's say,

you know, this time last year or 18 months ago? Well, I mean, I can't say that, right? But what I can tell you as interim director, Jared Perdue, you know, he went the same day to the legislature that these reports came out, right? And the money that he was asking for these emergency coffers, they're usually used for, you know, hurricanes, wildfires, tornadoes. That's what that money typically goes towards. Right. So about 187 million will. would go towards immigration enforcement.

And, you know, yeah, that's, it's a lot. Right. It's more than half of what the state is spending. They spend more on immigration enforcement than any of those other things you mentioned, wildfires, flooding, hurricanes. Correct. Last year, that specific report that Purdue gave, you know, showed the state spent about $989 million in the last fiscal year.

year. Meanwhile, state records showed nearly $568 million went to immigration-related expenditures. So that made it more costly than any other natural or human-made emergency last year. Okay. And this new money that's coming to the DEM is coming from taxpayers. But when Alligator Alcatraz was in the process of opening, there was a lot of noise made that the federal government, that FEMA would reimburse the state for a lot of the expenses they took on. Now, they have. have received a $608 million grant from FEMA to reimburse them, but they haven't seen all that money yet, have they? That's correct. So the grant was approved, but it hasn't all been paid out yet. Only a fraction of that money has come about $84 million or 14%. So Ana Eskimani, you know,

says it's unclear whether the rest of it actually will come through. And, you know, like you said, the state's spent a lot of money, nearly a billion dollars, according to their own report. and they still have almost 600 unpaid invoices for work done in immigration enforcement. Thank you, Megan, so much. Great reporting as always. Megan Bowman is from our partner station WUSF in Tampa. Thanks for joining us. Thank you.

Now on the Florida Roundup is a state lawmaker who has actually seen the conditions in Alicator Alcatraz firsthand. State Senator Chevron Jones. He joins us now on the Florida Roundup. State Senator, thank you for making the time. Thank you for having me. I'd like your first-hand account. What did you see when you went and toured this facility with detainees in it?

Can you walk us through it? Absolutely. One, this is an absolute I told you so moment. I mean, my reaction then is the same reaction I have right now, and that's anger. But I also want people to understand that these concerns that we're seeing right now did not begin with this report. My colleagues and I, when we visited Allegrakega Accrax while people were being held there, we raised alarms about the conditions, and we were called liars.

Now that DHS, their own Inspector General, has gone in unannounced and documenting it these serious failures. The administration owes an answer both to the people it held there and to the public. It tried to dismiss. When we got there, we asked questions about food. We asked questions about medicine. We asked questions about the living conditions and how people were being housed. We were told that they were following the standards of the federal government. government. But now all of that is being played by ping pong because the state is saying that they're

not responsible and the federal government are saying that they weren't responsible. So the question now is who's responsible and just because the facility is now closed doesn't mean that we sweep this issue under the rug. I'd like to hear from a caller now. We have Brian and Lehigh Acres. Brian, go ahead. You're on the Florida Roundup. Hey, I appreciate what the congressman had to say about the finger pointing. It's kind of, it's really getting super frustrating. It's been super frustrating for a while, honestly, where part of me is proud. The Office of the Inspector General of Department of Homeland Security actually submitted a report for the public that was critical of what is obviously a very sympathetic state and their administration. But the reality is that they just, you know, they didn't follow the guidelines.

it's laid out in a report. Our governor publicly states that he didn't even read the report, and then his spokesperson follows that up by saying, I don't care, and if we could have made the conditions more punitive, we would have. State Senator, your response to those comments, I mean, do you think the state's going to learn a lesson from this? No, the state is not going to learn a lesson from it. The, just Ron DeSantis's administration,

they're responding to things, how they have responded over the past few, the past few years. This administration, how they have described the people placing those enclosures as violent criminals, the Inspector General Report does not even establish that description for those 79 people. They were held as civil immigration detainees, even if someone presents a genuine safety concern. The government still has a duty to use safe, humane practices. A label is not an answer to what inspectors found.

And the unfortunate part about it is that the DeSantis administration and how the communications director responded is not only indicative of what this administration has, how they have performed. But I am so happy that bipartisan response that's coming to the governor's office is coming to way it is right now because they deserve it. Because no one deserves to be treated that way. And Florida taxpayers, they absolutely deserve answers. And state senator, I want to say I was actually there in July of 2025 when you toured the facility with U.S. rep Maxwell Frost, Debbie Washington Schultz and others. And another one of your colleagues in the state senate at the time, Blaise Angolia, who's now serving as Florida CFO, addressed the media just before you did. Here's a collection from his remarks about the facility. The idea that the detainees are in there and they're in squalid conditions is just not accurate.

I will tell you I was in one of the areas where I actually laid down in the bed. The bed was actually probably more comfortable than my bed at home. I'm not kidding. The food actually smelled amazing. We walked by and it looked amazing. It smelled amazing. And there really wasn't any issue whatsoever, what we saw. Your response to those statements in light of the report and what you've seen.

It was disgusting then and it's disgusting now. The fact that we can make light of a situation to where we knew people, We're living in inhumane conditions then, and we now see that those inhumane conditions have been proved by the Inspector General is disgusting. No leader who is elected or appointed who within the state government should respond in that manner. Because truth be told, this was never about immigration policy. Because housing individuals and facilities, the way that the state of Florida did, that is inhumane treatment that they have tried to couple as immigration policy. which is not. Well, what does this mean for the detainees who are still at the Chrome Detention Center and so-called deportation Depot in Baker County? Your run as a state senator ends in

November, but is there anything that the state legislature could do or local leaders could do to ask DHS to come inspect deportation Depot or make any changes? Well, I absolutely think that the changes need to be made. I do think that a bipartisan committee need to be put together by the legislature to a to hold individuals accountable be that the state legislature because these people are within the facilities within the state of florida that we need to go inspect them ourselves to make sure that they are at a standard whether the federal government want to give the give standards or not we should have standards that should be followed here within the state and the legislature should do that i did see a report i did see something that came from uh former president now still senator

Don Gates who wants to look into this situation. I believe that when the legislature goes back in in November, although I won't be there, I believe that they need to go and they need to hold these individuals to the fire and hold them accountable. And I know, listen, I know there's going to be an administration change, but the individuals who are in office now who still should be questioned about how those facilities was run and how they ran them with individuals in there. State Senator Chevron Jones, he was, he toured Alligator.

Alcatraz and has been speaking with us about the conditions found in the new DHS Office of Inspector General Port. State Senator, thank you so much for your time. Thanks for having me. You've been listening to The Florida Roundup. You can join in on the conversation by emailing us. Radio at the Florida Roundup.org. We have more Roundup coming up next. You are listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Carlton Gillespie. Next week on our program, affordable housing. Florida's landmark housing law, dubbed the Live Local Act, was passed three years ago. The sweeping legislation was meant to increase the availability of affordable homes in the state, in part, by removing certain zoning hurdles for developers interested in creating workforce housing. At the time, the bill was hailed as a game changer. But has it even made a dent in Florida's affordable housing crisis?

Are you struggling to find a rental unit that fits your budget? What do rent prices look like or home prices look like in your neighborhood? Email us, radio at the Florida Roundup.org. That's next week. This week, automated license plate readers. You may call them flock cameras. Well, whatever you call them, they've become a flashpoint in the state of Florida. The controversial technology is used to track license plate numbers, vehicle details, and even bumper stickers for law enforcement.

But are they violating people? privacy? Governor Ron DeSantis certainly thinks so. So I think this these these cameras the license plate readers I think it's out of control. To that end the state of Florida has banned the cameras use on state highways but individual cities and counties can make their own decisions on their roadways. Plus some law enforcement officials disagree with the criticism that these cameras are getting. Here's Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd. There's some nut jobs. that don't think we should be able to look at a camera that's on a public right-of-way only looking at a tag in the color of a car.

You'll get over that now. We're going to find lost children, lost Alzheimer's patients, warrant suspects, and we're never going to invade your privacy to do it. So wash that out of your mind. Not every sheriff across the state has been as positive about the technology as Judd. Here's what Putnam County Sheriff Gator Deloche said when he announced his department would be disconnecting the cameras. Quote, ALPR technology has proven to be a valuable law enforcement tool, but I have become increasingly concerned that the technology is advancing faster than the laws and regulations governing its use. Where do you stand on the issue?

Is this an instance of weighing privacy versus security? How do you feel about these cameras in your community? 305-995-1800 radio at the Florida Roundup.org. Carol sent us this note. Flock cameras have their place, I am sure, but like AI, our tax dollars should not be used to substitute for the humans we are paying for. As it is, police are not doing enough to stop the crazy and dangerous driving patterns in SoFlo. I want to back the blue, not metal and glass.

joining us now to talk about these cameras is juan caro a senior fellow for law and justice policy at the america first policy institute a fpi just released a report on flock cameras and a lpr technology won thank you for joining the florida roundup thank you for having me in your research what is the main concern from the public that's driving this issue forward so looking at our research and our data we're seeing that if you if you break up in certain categories. If you're looking for missing and abducted children, violent crime, and stolen vehicles, it's an 80-20 issue, right? 80%, 88% of Americans approve of block being used for missing and abducted children, 84 for violent crime, 81 for stolen vehicles. But it flips when you get out of those, like, high category searches, right? It becomes a 26% of Americans you want

flock for traffic and parking violations or for monitoring protests, right? So the big disconnect, I believe, is that what we've seen in our research is that using flock to identify violent felons that are on the run that are posing a risk to public safety or finding someone with Alzheimer's that got behind the wheel and has been lost, the public seems to be okay with that, but there needs to be guardrails. And the, The tech has advanced so quickly. The guardrails aren't always there. There's some states that don't have any regs at all.

So we've put out some potential guidelines that they can follow that would protect the average citizen that's just on their way to church or on their way to work that doesn't want to be surveilled for no reason. That's the big concern is, you know, how can this be abused by a government? Right. I just want to cut in here because you say some states don't have any regulation at all. Well, Florida has decided to ban the cameras entirely from state roads. What do you make of that decision as a response to some of those concerns you highlighted? So it sounds like a lot, right? But the state of Florida highways, they don't make up all the cameras in Florida, right?

You have Broward County alone has a significant amount. I think 900 cameras in Broward. So I think you can go county by county, right? You could really localize the issue. Not only am I a senior fellow at AFPI, but I'm also a law enforcement officer in Colorado, and I have used flock, and I've been able to identify stolen vehicles,

solve violent crimes with it, and if it's used properly, it's very helpful, and our agency allows for the use of block. and there's conversations happening right now on whether or not that should continue. Sorry, what does the research bear out as far as you've had some anecdotal experience with using flock cameras? And it sounds like people are willing to have this technology used for violent crimes or missing children, but not so much, you know, maybe misdemeanors or traffic offenses. What have you actually found in the research about the ALPR's ability to reduce crime? It's hard because it's something that hasn't been studied that well.

It's being studied a lot right now. We have very key cases that are interesting that show its capabilities. In Texas, they were able to identify a lost minor in 18 minutes who was found a significant dis-examined. was 16 minutes. They found a 12-year-old that was taken from a Hilton head, and they found him in 16 minutes, right? So that's something that we're not used to, being able to identify stolen vehicles and find missing children. But I think we'll have to see that data and analyze it over a bigger chunk of time as more states allow it or disallow flock. We'll have better data over the next couple of years.

But in my personal experience, it's been very helpful. It's also helpful for officer safety, right? I'd want to know where the violent felons are when they pull into a Home Depot in the middle of the day and when they leave that home depot and when they're on their way home so that we can go and meet them at their house with more law enforcement officers in the safer setting than finding out that they're a violent wanted felon as I walk up to that car window and ask them for their driver's license, right? Juan, thank you.

Thank you so much for your time. We really appreciate it. Juan Caro is a senior fellow for Law and Justice Policy at the America First Policy Institute. Thank you for joining us. I want to go now to the phones. We have Jim from Fort Lauderdale. Jim, you're on the Florida Roundup. Do we have Jim?

Hi, I'm here. Yep, go ahead, Jim. Yeah, I just think this is becoming such like 1984. And I'm amazed that the governor is in on the plan, that he doesn't like the cameras. I'm surprised he even said that. But I, for one, I don't want to. I like to feel secure, but I don't want to be surveilled. I don't want somebody, if I'm going from Home Depot to public or to the supermarket,

I don't want anybody knowing exactly where I am all the time. I'm not a criminal, and I just think this is a big movement by our current administration to surveil us and add to the DHS and to ICE. And it's insane. I'm just really, I would love to know how Republicans feel about this whole thing, because they're the ones that hit big government, and this is big government. times 10. Well, thank you, Jim, so much for your call. Again, it sounds like the debate between privacy and security. Joining us now to talk about it is Franklin County Sheriff A.J. Tony Smith,

Sheriff Smith, thank you so much for joining the Florida Roundup. Yeah, my pleasure. How are you today? I'm doing great. And I just wanted to, I think you're a great person to have on for this discussion because you've made the decision to end the use of this technology. Not every decision to end the use of these cameras is the same. For instance, in Volusia County, Sheriff Mike Chitwood turned off the cameras because when the state removed them from their state roads and highways, it effectively neutered the effectiveness of the program in his county. But why did you make the decision to turn off these cameras in Franklin County? Okay, well, a couple of reasons. One, the public outcry. I think as elected, as elected

officials, we have to, you know, we got away what the public wants in my county. And the whatever the issue may be. And in this case, it was block cameras. And I think we had done a really good job at the sheriff's office of explaining the people how they work, putting some really tough policies in place that would hold people accountable if they misused them. And we were only going to retain the data.

It went from 30 days to seven days, and I think we were even talking about doing three days or something like that. But we, and then we tried to explain to people that, just like it depends on the number of, of cameras you have because like us, we're a small county. Every, the three roads that come into our county, the three state roads, they are the only way into our county. So if we take flock off of those roads, then pretty much we don't need flock.

And if you only had cameras on, say, those main arteries, if somebody came into the county, you just know they were here or they left. You wouldn't know that they were just like the other gentleman said going to Home Depot or going to the doctor. You wouldn't really know. That depends on how many cameras you have. your area to locate them between two different points. And so I think there's a lot of misconception about what the cameras do.

I think they're effective as a tool and as law enforcement in the 21st century. We've got to have a lot of tools. Criminals are smart. But like I said when I got rid of them, we'll continue to do a great job in forcing the law and we'll continue to hold people accountable, but we'll just be less one tool. It doesn't mean that we're going to stop, you know, catching criminals and doing the things that we've always done because we did it before flock flock just gives us a little

shorter window to catch them. It helps us identify suspects easier and vehicles and stuff like that. So it's kind of like a body cam. We use that as a tool. You know, the David system that does driver's license. So there's a lot of that.

And then I was really disappointed in the vendor flock because they didn't get ahead of this a long time ago. I think they could have done more PR in a positive way instead of just saying people better get used to it. And that didn't set well with me either because I'm like, you know what? The people are the ones that pay my salary and then they fund our budget and then that's how we buy your equipment but to not work with us. And then they told me when I canceled my contract, which they still don't want to let me out of my contract.

And which I think is pretty crazy because they've changed the wording. They had a convenience clause and they've changed that to where it's no longer in there. after all this stuff started happening. So it's really kind of shady, I think, on their part to do this. So you've decided to turn off the cameras, but their contract, is it making you keep the cameras on or just keep the cameras up? Well, the cameras belong to them because they're leased. If they belong to me, I'd already have them in the trash pile.

But they belong, those are leased. And so they have to, they belong to a flock. So they're going to have to be removed by flock. So what I did, I disconnected the camera. cameras and put, you might have saw the picture on Fox News or wherever, I put a pink colored bag on, which is only, I wanted red, but only color I could find at the dollar store was that pink color. So we bagged them all like that so that people would know that they're, even if they are still

working, which they can't once we unplug them, just to give people some relief and let them know that they're not, because I think that was, you know, people were really upset about it. And even after we, we can't turn them off. You follow me? We can pull out of the system and turn it off on our end, but those cameras can still record because Flock is the only one, or the vendors, the only one that can turn them off. Well, I was going to ask you, does that mean that you've turned the cameras off, which means your people can't access this system?

But theoretically, someone from Flock could still be looking at or collecting data? That's correct. That seems like a big privacy concern. I know some of your citizens were telling some of the citizens in your county were telling you about that. How concerned are you that there's this company? And I know you've had maybe a bit of a contract dispute with them, but that this outside company is collecting data on the people of your county. Yeah, well, that's why I unplugged them,

and that's why I put the bags on because now I know they're not. Right. But after we pulled out, we knew and we no longer had our access. We cut our access. Cameras were still collecting data, even after we, you know, sent them an email said, hey, turn it off, effective now, and they weren't turned off. So that's what led me to bag them and unplug them and kind of go from there. And, you know, this, and I guess what they're not thinking is this technology could come back into use,

because if the legislature next year takes it up and passes some laws to make it, you know, there's some accountability and stuff like that through the statute, people may be fine with it. Yeah. But I won't be purchasing flock cameras, I can tell you that. I'm Carlton Gillespie. You're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. Sheriff, Governor DeSantis said his decision was partially motivated by his concern that Florida could turn into a, quote, digital AI surveillance state.

What's your response to that sentiment? Well, I would, for one, like my privacy too, and I would certainly hope that it doesn't turn into an AI surveillance state. Right. Because I know the people in Florida don't want that. I don't want it as a sheriff. And I know there were people on my Facebook post like, well, why don't we put a camera in your house and in your car? I'm like, well, this is not a camera in my house or in my car.

I go by flock all the time or the license plate readers. I don't really care. Who has the information and knows where I go? It doesn't matter to me because I'm not breaking the law. But I think we do need to be aware that there is a lot of stuff going on with AI. You know, you see it on social media. You can take somebody's picture. You can change it.

You can make them do all kind of stuff. I mean, I did an AI video of me dancing like a wild man. It wasn't me, but it was AI. But it looked like me. Right. Yeah, there is a lot of possibilities for abuse of this. I think we've got to be, you know, we've got to be aware of it and we've got to, you know, handle this stuff carefully. And initially, when we went to flock, I was like, wow, this is a great system, help us catch criminals.

And it has helped us catch criminals and find lost people. But, you know, I don't want to sacrifice the people that elect me, their privacy, if they have privacy concerns. And actually, after this interaction with flock, I do too. I'm like, where's the data going? What's it going to do? You know, I have a lot of questions about it as well. Well, in just the minute we have left, I want to talk about some of the abuses. that have already happened with this service.

There are concerns about the way some individual law enforcement officers have maliciously used this. Officers in Fort Pierce, Haynes City, Vero Beach, and a deputy in Brevard County have been founding to use this technology to stalk their ex-wives or girlfriends. And it sounds like a lot of the issue you've had with this is an issue of public trust in the way law enforcement or these companies could use this in less than the minute we have left. And I'm sorry to make you keep it short.

How can you reassure people that, bad actors aren't going to be able, whether within or without law enforcement, to access this stuff. Here's the deal. If they abuse it, they need to be arrested and fired, bottom line. Yep. And I think, I mean, listen, when I started, we didn't have body cams. People trusted what law enforcement said.

Yeah. And I think we got to, the pendulum's got to swing back the other way to where we build that trust with our community. And you know how we do that? You know how we do it? It's simple. You know? How is it?

You interact with your community. face to face. You don't ride around with the windows rolled up. You go into businesses, you go into neighborhoods. You let people meet you and know you. When I say you, the law enforcement officers that are working, just like I do in my community. People know me and they trust me because Sheriff Smith, I want to say, I want to say thank you so much. Thank you so much for joining us. You're listening to The Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. This is the Florida Roundup. I'm Carlton Gillespie. We'll start with some education news from around the state. First up, a new report from the Florida Department of Education.

shows nearly 600 books were removed, restricted, or discontinued from public schools across the state during the last school year. The department list removals from 10 of the state's 67 counties, most of them rural. In most counties, books were challenged by parents or community members then reviewed under state laws governing what students can access. William Johnson is with the anti-censorship group Penn America's Florida office. He says some challenges focus on individual passages rather than the book as a whole. When you do that, you are, unfortunately, removing books that have real true literary and cultural value. Add it all together, each county's list comes to 200 more entries than the previous years total. This week, state education officials approve new artificial intelligence regulations for K-12 public schools.

Under the new rules, parents and guardians will now get a say in whether their children use AI directly in classrooms. Kala Kissel covers education for our partner station, Central Florida. to public media in Orlando and brings us this report. The new AI requirements take effect in public schools next year and include notifying parents about AI tools used in class, setting rules for assignments and protecting student data. Districts will have to set guidelines for how and when students can use AI tools, including whether they must disclose they've used it.

Maya Israel heads Florida's K-12 education AI task force. She says the rules give parents the option to opt their children out of using AI directly in the classroom. The main intent is to protect children from harm. They're going to have to consider things like what are their processes for curating the list of tools. The rules also prohibit AI from replacing teachers or building relationships with students. And for VPK through fifth grade, AI tools will face extra review. State board member Lela Collins says she's concerned students could lose foundational skills as they rely more on technology. We can't shut our kids off from technology. It should be a supplement. It should not replace learning good practices.

The board also approved new AI policies for Florida's colleges and universities, requiring schools to set rules for how students can use it in coursework, and how faculty discloses the use in classes. I'm Kayla Kissel in Orlando. Artificial intelligence was a focal point during the last state legislative session. Before lawmakers adjourned, Governor Ron DeSantis proposed an artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights, a sweeping bill aimed at creating state-level guardrails around the technology. While the Florida Senate approved DeSantis' calls for rules on AI data centers, the House blocked the proposal to protect consumers' interactions with artificial intelligence during

the regular session and in a special session in April. At the time, House leadership said the federal government should handle the issue and anticipated that Congress would address it soon. But as of today, Congress remains in a legislative deadlock over regulation. That's despite growing concerns over AI safety and calls from industry leaders to rein in the technology. This week, Governor DeSantis cautioned against any federal regulatory framework, arguing that it could stifle competition for smaller AI firms. He also argued that it could lay the way for taxpayer-funded bailouts for major tech companies. I also think they are laying the groundwork to claim that if they end up hemorrhaging money, that somehow they're too big to fail,

and then they would seek to get a bailout from the federal government. He says Florida is on the right track when it comes to setting state regulations. We've hit it well. I think we're responding to channeling the upsides, but also mitigating the downside so that the people, the state, are protected. Meanwhile, Orange County could be the next in a growing list of Florida municipalities to stop AI data centers from developing in their backyards. Commissioners met this week and supported the idea of installing a temporary moratorium on the development of large, hyper-scale data centers. The facilities house servers that allow AI technology to operate. On average, they can cover 30,000 square feet. They also require cooling systems, which can involve using a community's water supply.

Dozens of people spoke during the public comment section of the meeting. All who spoke about the data center supported a moratorium, including Orlando resident, Jeff. Dorian. We're asking your commissioner, the commission to require any new data centers to rely on their own clean, renewable energy. A moratorium can give the county the time to ensure this development is done right. The commission hasn't enacted a moratorium just yet. First, county staff will have to weigh all the concerns. A vote is expected to take place in early December. Just last week, Lake County commissioners approved a 90-day pause on accepting any applications for large-scale data centers in unincorporated parts of the county.

That vote was unanimous. Commissioner Leslie Campione says she doesn't want to send an anti-business message. But at the same time, it's really hard for me to fathom a scenario where one of these would fit within the land masses that we have in Lake County and still be able to protect our water, our electricity, and our quality of life. During the pause, Commissioner's plan to create local regulations. So far, 19 Florida local governments have paused or banned data centers, according to Florida datacentors.org. The website helps residents track the projects across the state.

I'm Carlton Gillespie, and you're listening to the Florida Roundup from your Florida Public Radio Station. Moving away from the digital, back to analog with board game therapy. Have you heard of it? Tabletop games have made their way into mental health care from our partner station WUSF In Tampa, Delina Miller takes us to a recent meetup in Bradington. It's a Friday night, and Shana Gervitt stands in front of a small stage inside a meeting room at Lutheran Apostle Church. Hey, everyone. One, thank you so much for coming.

I know people are still trickling in, but this is really exciting. I'm going to have name tags here soon, and I will bombard you all to wear a name tag. The therapist is wearing a black t-shirt with her new logo. It's heel meeple with a heart inside. Meoples are vaguely people-shaped wood or plastic markers commonly used in modern board games to depict players. Bingle, play games. I'm going to be around. I'm going to be teaching some games at some point, hopefully, and then other people randomly know how to play all kinds of stuff. Do not be afraid to learn a new game. That is the point. It's the first meetup for her new nonprofit board game

therapy, and every table is filled. Gerwitz says studies show board games help with memory, problem solving, and social skills. She also says board games, bring people together. You know, I met my husband through playing a game. I met my two children by playing a game. I met my best friend playing games. She's been using board games and therapy for years. Some groups across the country have been doing it for decades. And no, we're not just talking about monopoly. There are thousands of games for all ages, experience levels and strategies, from hundreds of variations of classics like Life and Candy Land to hobby-level games like Settler. of Catan, tickets a ride, and Dixit.

At one table, Alex Rehor is teaching two other teen boys Red Rising, a board game based off his favorite science fiction book series. So Mars, if you play a character on Mars, that allows you to collect a helium, which gives you three points per helium. Certain characters lay to gain or spend helium to do other things. The 17-year-old started playing games in therapy sessions and says it helped coax him out of shyness and isolation. It gets you thinking.

It's just strategizing. And that can really just apply to the real world. And it's also entertaining. But recent federal changes to what qualifies as therapeutic for insurance coverage means therapists have to get creative. Like board game therapy, which is held here every third Friday for free. Alex says he's glad his gaming can continue, even if it's not officially therapy. You're with other people face-to-face.

You're interacting with them. And it's a lot more personal, you know, that you don't get that behind a screen. 11-year-old Omari Green's sister also plays games in therapy. He says he was excited to tag along with her and his older brother tonight. Together, they played giant monsters fighting each other to take over Tokyo. And people can attack me, which you will lose hearts. So you have zero hearts to lose the game. And whoever has like 20 points or if everyone's dead, that's how you win the game.

Fighting each other as monsters beats fighting his siblings. he says. If you ever want a time with your family, you should come here. It's a really good place. I had a lot of fun here. And it wasn't just kids benefiting from game night. Jessica Burbo says she struggles with board games in real life situations where she doesn't know the rules ahead of time. Learning new board games helps with that. You get to kind of like have like some exposure therapy to, you know, work on things that maybe are a little harder for you. Therapist Kathy Dixon says as a big part of why it works. There is a reason that the game is being played is to address a very specific thing for that

client or family. But just gameplay in general, it has a lot of benefits that just happen on the side. Shana Gervitz says that's why tabletop games benefit people even outside of therapy. It's an easy way to practice those skills in a safe environment and, you know, really just talk about how to apply them in real life. It's a bridge to talking to people in building relationships with people. Gervitz says tonight's attendance speaks to the growing need for accessible social events. More than 70 participants aged 4 to 82 are here tonight. And the benefits of tabletop gaming won't stop with this gathering. Gervitz plans to teach other therapists how to facilitate these

groups and parents how to play games at home with their kids. I'm Dalina Miller in Tampa. Thanks, Dalina. What a fascinating piece. I've been a part of some board nights where all the participants needed therapy after. but I've never done it at the same time. We've had a few emails come in. First, on flock cameras, Ricardo sent us this. Do we live in a dictatorship? The governor can just make a comment that he doesn't like flock,

and the FDOT and law enforcement immediately decide to throw away all of their investments just like that? And Patty shared this view from across the pond. Cameras to view license plates? Great. If they can check if people had valid driver's license, paid insurance. In England, they do do this. while here in America, we have too many people driving without valid license and no insurance. In England, they have two weeks to correct or get their car crushed.

Great. Do it here. Well, thank you guys for sharing. And if you'd like to join the conversation, you can do that by emailing us Radio at the Florida Roundup. That's Radio at the Florida Roundup. You can always call during the program 305-995-1800. And I want to send a special message out to you out there to my mom. It's her birthday today. I hope you and dad have a great time relaxing in the Keys this weekend.

I'll take care of the dog, and we will see you when you get back. That'll do it for our program today. The Florida Roundup is produced by WLRN Public Media in Miami with assistance from WUSF in Tampa. The show is produced by Bridget O'Brien. Denise Royal is WLRN's senior producer of content streaming and news products. WLRN's director of live original programming is Katie Munoz. and the vice president of radio is Peter Mayors. The program's technical director is M.J. Smith.

Engineering help from Doug Peterson, Harvey Brassard, and Ernesto J. Our theme music is provided by Miami jazz guitarist Aaron Leibos at Aaron Leibos.com. If you missed any of today's show, you can download it and pass programs on the NPR out or find us on YouTube.