The Florida Policy Institute on Thursday released a report saying the state Department of Corrections needs an additional $2.2 billion in funding to address critical infrastructure needs.
According to the institute, these include improvements to roofs, heaters and furnaces, water treatment, lighting, air conditioning units and chiller/boiler systems. The department also faces aging incarcerated populations and high staff turnover, which the non-partisan think tank said has only added to the budget crisis.
Senior policy analyst and author of the report Tachana Joseph-Marc said the money could be taken from the state’s $8.8 billion in budget reserves, but so far the Legislature hasn’t allocated any funding toward fixing the issues.
“The Legislature is responsible to make sure that the Department of Corrections is fulfilling its Constitutional mandates,” she said. “One of the many ways that they do that is by providing a budget that should be adequate enough for the department to carry out its mandates.”
The report used data from a study conducted by a global consulting firm, KPMG, which was commissioned by the state legislature and published in late 2023.
“These repairs are not optional — without immediate attention given to crumbling infrastructure, including the lack of air conditioning in roughly a quarter of DOC facilities, our state is putting the health and safety of incarcerated people and prison staff at risk,” CEO Sadaf Knight said in a press release.
Joseph-Marc said there are other ways to fund the needs, which she called “dire.” These include using federal funding from the Inflation Reduction Act to shore up the department’s clean energy initiatives.
The Department of Corrections did not respond to WUFT's request for comment in time for publication.
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