Florida Man, 77, Blocks Surveillance Camera With 12-Foot Sign

When Carl Gunn decided to protest a surveillance camera in his St. Petersburg neighborhood, he didn't reach for spray paint or power tools. The 77-year-old grabbed a pool skimmer, some tape, and a whole lot of creativity.

Gunn's weapon of choice is a 12-foot pole with a homemade sign reading "DOWN WITH FLOCK CAMERAS." Footage shows him casually sitting in a camping chair, holding his comically oversized protest sign in one hand and an umbrella in the other, blocking the camera's view without damaging a single thing.

The cameras in question are Flock Safety's automatic license plate readers, which scan and store data from passing vehicles without warrants. Nearly 100,000 of these AI-integrated cameras now operate across the country, creating a massive surveillance network accessible to police departments.

Gunn's concern is simple and reasonable. "They don't own the air," he told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay, pointing out that residents never gave permission for the private company to collect their data for profit.

His peaceful protests have already happened at least twice at different camera locations. During one demonstration, police cars showed up, and a local resident stopped to film the encounter and voice support for Gunn's creative stand.

The Bright Side

What makes Gunn's approach remarkable is that it proves there are creative alternatives to destruction. While others have vandalized similar cameras with spray paint or power tools (leading to arrests), this septuagenarian found a way to make his point while respecting property.

His method also opened up dialogue in his community. Neighbors are now discussing whether they want these cameras, who profits from them, and whether residents should have a say in surveillance that affects their daily lives.

The conversation Gunn started matters beyond just his neighborhood. In Georgia alone, 17 officers have been caught misusing Flock cameras to stalk and harass people, and similar abuses have occurred in cities from Los Angeles to Milwaukee and small towns across the country.

By choosing peaceful protest over vandalism, Gunn created space for important questions about privacy, consent, and corporate profit from public spaces. His approach invites conversation rather than confrontation, showing that sometimes the most effective tools are the simplest ones.

One man with a pool skimmer is reminding his community that citizens still have a voice in how their neighborhoods are watched.