A Florida man’s pool cleaning pole has become the center of a viral privacy protest after he was filmed sitting by the side of the road, using it to block a police surveillance camera.
Carl Gunn, 77, who lives in St. Petersburg’s Coquina Key neighborhood, became concerned after noticing a camera mounted on a pole near his home. The camera is operated by Flock Safety, a private company that works with police departments using automated license plate readers.
According to Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, Gunn learned the cameras continuously scan and record passing vehicles, creating searchable records that can be accessed by law enforcement. Upset that his movements were being tracked without his permission, he used the only pole long enough to reach the camera: his pool skimmer.
Gunn taped a handwritten sign reading “Down With Flock Cameras” to the end of the pole, sat in a camping chair and held it in front of the camera to block its view. A passer-by recorded the protest as a white police SUV arrived, with the person filming claiming officers were there to arrest Gunn.
Gunn later told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay that his protest was about both privacy and what he believes is Flock Safety making money from residents’ data without their consent.
He also said this was not his first protest, revealing he had staged a similar demonstration at another Flock camera a week earlier. It is still unclear whether Gunn faces any charges, as authorities have not publicly commented on the incident.
Internet Reacts to Florida Man’s Flock Camera Protest
The video sparked a wave of reactions online, with many commenters siding with Gunn and questioning the legal basis for detaining him. One commenter wrote, “Seems like obvious free speech in a public forum.” Another argued the government was in the wrong, not Gunn, writing, “What the Government is doing is illegal NOT what he’s doing, he’s protecting the citizens right to privacy and not being spied on!”
A third made a similar point about the legality of the arrest itself: “What could they charge him with? I guarantee there is no law against holding a sign on a pole.”
Some praised the act outright, with one commenter calling it “what peaceful, civil disobedience looks like. It’s beautiful.” Another suggested turning the surveillance tools back on authorities: “Let’s test the system…track the license plate of every police vehicle, ambulance, mayor, city council person and FOIA/Public Records Act request the FLOCK camera information and see how they respond…when the trackers become the tracked somebody starts singing another tune.”
Flock Safety cameras have spread quickly across Florida and the US in recent years, prompting concerns from civil rights groups and lawmakers. The system allows police to search data collected from more than 100,000 cameras nationwide and identify vehicles by details such as their make, model, color and even unique features like bumper stickers, raising ongoing concerns about privacy and oversight.
