Samuel Case, FISM News
[elfsight_social_share_buttons id=”1″]
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed an executive order activating the state National Guard on Friday. The order will assist with an ongoing shortage of corrections officers that “threatens the safety of officers, inmates, and the public,” according to the governor’s office.
A press release stated that the governor’s executive order is intended “to reduce overtime and provide relief for correctional officers on a temporary basis.” Guard members will be deployed for up to nine months or until the staffing shortage is solved.
According to the governor’s office, Florida currently has over 80,000 inmates, but due to “a severe shortage of correctional officers” the state has temporarily closed 176 inmate dorms and suspended 431 supervised work squads.
On Friday, Florida lawmakers approved a request from the Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) to free up $31.25 million that will help cover the cost for up to 300 guard members until July, the Miami Herald reports.
“What all this will allow the department to do is take the staff that currently do this, that are certified correctional officers, and move them into the compound into direct inmate-contact positions, therefore reducing stress on the compound, stress on our current officers and helping reduce overtime,” the department’s chief financial officer, Mark Tallent, said.
Florida House Minority Leader Fentrice Driskell (D) called the executive order “a Band-Aid” that spreads the National Guard too thin.
The order comes as DeSantis has increased the pay and benefits for corrections officers. “These historic pay increases and other incentives have shown early signs of success, with a net gain of nearly 640 officers since the conclusion of the 2022 session, compared to a net loss of more than 465 in the same amount of time prior.”
In April, DeSantis instituted a new law enforcement recruitment and support initiative which provides a $5,000 sign-on bonus for new law enforcement officers. It also covers tuition, fees, and up to “$1,000 of eligible education expenses for trainees enrolled in a law enforcement officer basic recruit training program.” In addition, the initiative provides officers who relocate to Florida “up to $1,000 of equivalency training costs.”