As the Piney Point phosphate mine environmental crisis unfolds, hundreds of Manatee County prisoners are being held within a mandatory emergency evacuation zone, putting their safety in imminent danger.
The Manatee County Central Jail, which has an inmate capacity of about 1,300, is less than a mile away from the embattled Piney Point phosphate mine’s leaking reservoir holding more than 300 million gallons of wastewater.
State officials have referred to the site as an “imminent threat”. The site’s failure could lead to million gallons of toxic waste water flooding the area around the phosphate mine, with the potential to unleash a 20-foot wave upon northwest Manatee County. Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the area and residents are being mandatorily evacuated.
But during a press conference Sunday morning, Manatee County Administrator Dr. Scott Hopes said the jail did not plan to move prisoners, and would just take them to the second floor if necessary. He added that sandbags have been situated outside the building.
On Sunday afternoon, Creative Loafing Tampa Bay emailed Manatee Sheriff Rick Wells and Randy Warren, the Public Information Officer for the Sheriff’s Office. They did not immediately respond to questions about the situation. But by Sunday night, the jail seemingly shifted course, evacuating 345 prisoners, the Bradenton Herald reported. Still, about 721 prisoners still remain in the facility, along with 100 staff members.
Florida Prisoner Solidarity (FPS) says that all the prisoners should be evacuated, and launched a phone zap campaign targeted toward Sheriff Wells, the Board of County Commission, and Manatee’s County’s Emergency Management System.
“The pressure is working! 345 prisoners have been evacuated due to “security” concerns,” FPS wrote in a Twitter post. “Still, hundreds will be left behind as radioactive wastewater fills the first floor and may reach the second.”
The questions remain, what dire situation might those prisoners and staff find themselves in if the flooding occurs? If the flooding is significant enough to reach the second floor, will they survive? Even if the flooding doesn’t reach the second floor, how might the prisoners and staff cope with potential loss of power?
Prisoners are historically left to suffer emergency situations. During hurricanes Michael, Katrina, Irene, Harvey, Florence and more, inmates were in harm’s way when mother nature struck, to face deadly conditions and flooding. As the recent Texas winter storm travesty unfolded, the Texas Tribune reported that prisoners were stuck in unheated cells with overflowing toilets, afraid to sleep because they thought they might not wake up.
As the Piney Point crisis in Manatee County develops and emergency crews rush to try to mitigate damage, the inmates remain stuck in place as hundreds of residents are mandatorily rushed to safety. CL Tampa Bay will continue to report on this developing story.
UPDATED 04/05/21 10:15 a.m. Updated to make clear that prisoners are being evacuated, not released.
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This article appears in Apr 8-14, 2021.