Florida Politics - Campaigns & Elections. Lobbying & Government.

Jim RosicaDecember 23, 2015

The number of people going to prison in Florida in the latter half of this year has fallen below earlier projections, according to a report by a panel of state forecasters. But the prison population still will increase slightly in the long term. The Criminal Justice Estimating Conference this month said prison admissions were 12,941 for July-November, […]

Martin DyckmanMarch 9, 2015

One of the truthful boasts in Gov. Rick Scott’s curiously brief speech to the Legislature last week may not have been good news to all who heard it. “We are at a 43-year low in our crime rate,” he said. In fact, by 2013 crime in Florida had fallen 60 percent from its high point […]

Jac VerSteegFebruary 25, 2015

Miami Herald political editor Sergio Bustos provided the most fascinating tidbit at Tuesday’s Media Panel sponsored by TaxWatch and held at Gunster law firm in Fort Lauderdale. The topic was gambling in Florida. Will the state reach a new compact with the Seminoles? Will the interests pushing for Las Vegas-style resort casinos finally get clearance […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 25, 2015

It is widely acknowledged that the fox should not guard the henhouse. It follows that he shouldn’t hire those who do. That’s a potential problem in the Florida Senate’s comprehensive and well-meant prison bill. (SB 7020) Among other things, it creates a Florida Corrections Commission to monitor what goes on in a prison system becoming […]

Martin DyckmanFebruary 24, 2015

It is widely acknowledged that the fox should not guard the henhouse. It follows that he shouldn’t hire those who do. That’s a potential problem in the Florida Senate’s comprehensive and well-meant prison bill. (SB 7020) Among other things, it creates a Florida Corrections Commission to monitor what goes on in a prison system becoming […]

Gary FineoutFebruary 11, 2015

An attempt by Florida’s new prisons chief to keep investigators from discussing what’s going on inside the state’s troubled prison system has sparked a lawsuit. A lawyer representing six Department of Corrections employees asked a judge this week to block a new confidentiality policy ordered by Secretary Julie Jones. Tallahassee attorney Steve Andrews contends in […]

Daniel TilsonJanuary 13, 2015

Gov. Rick Scott’s mishandling of Florida’s deadly prison system dysfunction continues. The latest example came early this week, when Gov. Scott announced appointment by the Cabinet of Florida (him, Attorney General Pam Bondi, Chief Financial Officer Jeff Atwater, Agriculture Commissioner Adam Putnam) of Rick Swearington as new Commissioner of Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). […]

Dominic CalabroNovember 12, 2013

Crime rates in Florida are at historically low levels, yet the Florida Department of Corrections (DOC) wants to reopen up to nine correctional facilities that were closed just last year. Recently, the state Criminal Justice Estimating Conference projected an increase of nearly 2,000 prisoners in Florida by next year, even as crime rates continue to […]

Tag: prisons

Florida imprisoning fewer people than expected, state panel finds

Martin Dyckman: Drop in crime bad news for Florida's private prison biz

Jac VerSteeg: Why casinos might be out of luck in Florida

Martin Dyckman: Prisons need monitoring, but so does Rick Scott

Martin Dyckman: Prisons need monitoring, but so does Gov. Rick Scott

Bid to keep Florida prison inspectors quiet sparks lawsuit

Daniel Tilson: Fixing Florida's prison system once and for all

Dominic Calabro: Revisit sentencing laws before opening new prisons