A.G. Gancarski
If you see a convict outside your house in an area hard hit by Hurricane Helene, odds are they haven’t escaped prison, but are doing what they’re told.
That’s according to Gov. Ron DeSantis, who for a second time this week pitched the benefits of using convicts for cleanup.
Unlike his previous paean to inmate servitude, the Governor floated using them in Pinellas County to clean up private property and “lift people’s spirits” by helping them return to normalcy.
“The low-security, low-risk inmates (controlled by the) Department of Corrections, they do prison labor anyways. So they’re bringing them to do debris removal. The good thing about that is you can use that on private property, not just on public,” DeSantis said in Madeira Beach.
Speaking on Tuesday in Horseshoe Beach, DeSantis also remarked on “debris” being cleaned up by inmates.
“We’re utilizing our resources. We’ve got low-security inmates that are out there who do normal prison labor. The Department of Corrections is bringing them to help with hurricane cleanup,” DeSantis said.
The Governor went on to discuss savings from them being “out there cleaning up in the debris, which would cost us way more money if you had to do that through some of these private contractors.”
It’s unclear how many convicts have been tasked with storm recovery.
10 comments
Alisa Musgrave
October 2, 2024 at 1:57 pm
I do agree at using inmates for situations like this but what I don’t understand why you are taking public land away from the homeless? You make it all sound good and fluffy but I don’t believe it one bit. Y’all can’t even get we the people right with our healthcare and what mental care you talking about because that dept to is corrupt and not really helping us much at all. And now you want us to say yes on 3 so you can manipulate us to buy from big pharma co like Trulieve and those that buy from else.where will be procecuted! If that goes in effect we the people are screwed, won’t even be able to grow it. California is better then this then you and your logics.
April
October 2, 2024 at 4:18 pm
I agree
Denise
October 2, 2024 at 6:27 pm
Modern day slavery
Cheesy Floridian
October 2, 2024 at 8:25 pm
Actually DeSantis is trying to people to say no on 3 and 4. So need to vote yes on 3 and 4
MHDuuuval
October 2, 2024 at 11:20 pm
“The good thing about that is you can use that on private property, not just on public,” DeSantis said in Madeira Beach.”
This is the banned convict lease system of old but now the In crowd gets cons to work for nothing — not even making a payment to the state to cover the inmate’s meals.
woke
October 3, 2024 at 8:01 am
Under DeSatan we are all in a virtual prison, deprived of freedoms. DeSatan wants State prison slave labor, of course he does. Readers would be well served to look into our broken Department of “Corrections” and to consider just how many people are in prison. Yet, every year the State GOP and DeSatan enact more criminal laws and fail to fix the DOC. Why are so many people in prison?
MHDuuuval
October 3, 2024 at 8:30 am
The DOC is a proverbial raisin in the sun: About to implode at any point. This is less a criticism of the overworked personnel than a specific criticism of most members of the Legislature who have never been to the prisons nor considered properly funding them.
Steinhatchee Resident
October 4, 2024 at 10:21 am
I truly appreciated the help I got yesterday by Florida Inmates. They get a Huge tree limb off my home cut up the wood and pulled storm debris to the road- I truly appreciate the assistance I got. Thank you, Thank you, Thank you!!!!!
MHDuuuval
October 4, 2024 at 11:33 pm
Inmates are human and it probably did everyone good to have an opportunity to be human.
Hope you get power and water ASAP!
Bwj
October 4, 2024 at 2:06 pm
So slave labor. How is this even ok?
Comments are closed.