Scott Silent on Whether He Will Fix DOC Funding
May 22nd, 2018 by Jake Stofan
Contractors who provide transitional and addiction services to inmates and parolees will have their budget cut by $24.9 million Friday, unless the Legislature or Governor decides to act.
The cuts are expected to result in hundreds of lost jobs and the complete cancelation of many programs designed to help prisoners rejoin society and reduce the chance they’ll commit another crime in the future.
The Department of Corrections announced the cuts at the start of the month because of budget shortfalls in other healthcare areas.
When asked if Governor Rick Scott intended to fill the gap by taking out of the state’s rainy day funds Scott instead put the blame on the Legislature.
“We have, in my budget, I’ve asked for in the last eight budgets, I think it’s almost $400 million more than what the legislature has funded,” said Governor Scott. “The process is, I can propose a budget and the Legislature decides what they’re going to put into it. The Department of Corrections is working hard, recidivism rate is down, the crime rate is down, but I’m disappointed the legislature didn’t fund all of it.”
The cuts come as the state faces an opioid crisis, which claims the lives of 16 Floridians each day.
Posted in State News | 
No Comments »