A TJ Maxx in Miami, Florida on May 26, 2024. Credit: Deutschlandreform / Shutterstock

Is this copsmaxxing?

St. Petersburg’s city council will decide Thursday if it will accept a police grant from TJ Maxx’s parent company. Other cities have used the grant to buy controversial cameras and GPS trackers. The St. Petersburg Police Department won’t say how they’d spend the money.

The item allowing the mayor to accept a grant from TJX is currently buried in the consent agenda.

TJX owns TJ Maxx, Marshalls and HomeGoods. In 2024, the stores equipped retail employees with body cameras to deter thieves. Police departments can use TJX’s law enforcement grant to buy equipment and attend events focused on retail theft.

A representative of the St. Petersburg Police Department told Creative Loafing Bay that the grant, which is under $5,000, will not be used to purchase Flock cameras or other automatic license plate readers.

The department could make the purpose of the grant public, but is choosing not to do so using public records laws exemptions. “The items being purchased are considered tactical equipment, and information about their specific use is confidential under Florida Statutes 119.071(4)(2)(d),” the representative told CL over email.

The Gainesville Police Department applied for a grant last year to place a Flock camera at the exit of a shopping plaza to track retail thieves. To do so, the camera must collect data on every shopper.

TJX sent an email about the grant to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office listing suitable uses for the funds. It later reads, “Please remember that TJX does not want any publicity or media coverage for these grants and would appreciate not being mentioned in any releases.”

St. Petersburg City Council Chair Lisset Hanewicz and Vice Chair Richie Floyd did not respond to a request for comment. TJX also did not respond to a request for comment.

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This article appears in June 11 – 17, 2026.