Florida Prisons

Manatee and Pinellas counties did not evacuate jails ahead of the storm. Other jails in Hernando, Pasco, Manatee and Sarasota counties didn’t evacuate, according to WUFT.

The sheriff’s offices in Manatee, Lee, Pinellas and St. Johns counties said they have no plan to evacuate local jails. Other state prisons in Hernando, Pasco, Manatee, Sarasota, Charlotte and Lee counties have not evacuated.

This week on The Florida Roundup, we discussed possible tweaks to new condo reform laws, the growing need for EV fast charging stations across the state, recent claims on Florida’s abortion ballot initiative, the growing number of incarceration deaths and an update on activity in the Atlantic.

Mental health and substance abuse disorders contribute to the total.

On the first and third Tuesday of every month, dozens of volunteers for Gainesville Books to Prisoners gather at the Civic Media Center to sort, package and mail books to prisoners across Florida.

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.

Part of the law says, “A person arrested for a dangerous crime may not be granted nonmonetary pretrial release at a first appearance hearing if the court has determined there is probable cause to believe the person has committed the offense.”

The measure would have applied to people who otherwise met requirements to be classified as residents, such as maintaining legal Florida residence for 12 months before enrolling at colleges or universities.

Miami-Dade's corrections department remains under court supervision, and a federal judge is getting more frustrated about suicides in county jails.

Broward Public Defender Gordon Weekes continues his push for federal help for providing services for scores of mentally ill inmates in Broward jails. The sheriff's office says it isn't needed.

Senate Bill 62 could ‘ease burden’ on incarcerated people applying to college.

The provision ramps up a previous measure that only applied to violent offenders.