DeSantis wants to assign more National Guard members to Florida prisonsA little more than a year after calling on the National Guard to assist the state Department of Corrections, Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration is proposing to assign another 100 guard members to Florida prisons and buy dozens of now-leased trailers to house them and family members.
The corrections agency for years has grappled with staffing shortages and high turnover rates, resulting in millions of dollars in overtime pay for workers. The Legislature has authorized hiring and retention bonuses for correctional officers and hiked starting salaries, but staffing issues persist.
DeSantis in September 2022 issued an executive order activating the National Guard “to address the present staffing shortage on a temporary short-term basis.” The governor subsequently extended the order, and 300 guard members have been working in the prison system.
The Department of Corrections recently submitted a request to a legislative committee seeking $23.5 million to offset salaries for 100 additional guard members at state prisons through June 30, the end of the fiscal year. The state is spending $30 million for the 300 guard members already working in the prison system.
The proposal also asks for another $1.6 million to purchase “currently leased modular homes to continue housing” guard personnel.
The Joint Legislative Budget Commission, which is made up of House and Senate members and can make mid-year budget decisions, is slated to take up the request Wednesday.
The request “tells you that not having adequate security and staffing is just simply not an option,” Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Chairwoman Jennifer Bradley, R-Fleming Island, told The News Service of Florida on Friday. “We just can’t have the staffing shortage. We have to fill the needs, and that’s what we’re doing.”................
https://www.tampabay.com/news/florida-politics/2023/12/08/desantis-national-guard-prisons-staffing-shortage-pay-repairs/
