August 6, 2024

Commentary: Legislature must fund Florida prison repair

The op-ed below appeared in the Orlando Sentinel on August 6, 2024.

For years, advocates, incarcerated people, and even past secretaries of the Department of Corrections (DOC) have consistently warned lawmakers about the department’s aging infrastructure; specifically, how it poses a severe threat to the safety and well-being of staff and those who are incarcerated. State lawmakers have been presented with an urgent $2.2 billion proposal to fund critical repairs at DOC, and they must act now.

In 2023, global firm KPMG released a study — commissioned by the Legislature —which revealed that many of the state’s prisons are in dire need of repair. Roofs, heaters and furnaces, water treatment, lighting, air conditioning units, and more need immediate improvements, which would cost $2.2 billion. Specifically, the study found that 41 correctional sites (a third of facilities) are in critical or poor condition, and an additional 34 sites (nearly 30%) have never received major upgrades. For example, roughly 76% of the state’s correctional sites are without air conditioning.

However, despite the urgency of the situation, lawmakers passed a state budget for fiscal year (FY) 2024-25 that didn’t include the necessary investment for repairs. The current budget provides $95 million more than the previous year, but still significantly less than what KPMG recommended. It’s imperative that the Legislature heeds the study’s recommendations, because the longer they wait, the worse it will get.

Read full op-ed at orlandosentinel.com

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