But despite those efforts in places like Georgia, Louisiana, and Texas, the movement largely bypassed Florida, despite the best intentions by lawmakers like former Republican state Sen. Jeff Brandes.
That mood has changed in recent years, however.
Homicides increased coming out of the COVID-19 pandemic and crime was a major issue in Donald Trump’s successful reelection campaign. Nevertheless, Tampa Democratic Rep. Dianne Hart is continuing her fight for reform of Florida’s prison system—a crusade she’s been on since being elected in 2018.
Joined by two fellow Democrats, family members of the incarcerated, and a former corrections worker, Hart led a press conference on the fourth floor Rotunda in the Capitol earlier this week to discuss her inmates’ “bill of rights” legislation (HB 185), which she has filed for the past five years in the Florida House.
The legislation calls for each inmate in the Florida correctional system to be provided a written copy of their rights, including:
- Proper ventilation—either through an air-conditioning system or “exhaust and air circulators sufficient to provide a safe and healthful environment for inmates.”
- Sufficient meal time.
- Adequate food supply in case of an emergency.
- Health supplies such as PPE and products like sanitary napkins, soap, tampons, and toothpaste.
At the press conference, Hart expressed her dissatisfaction with the quality of health care in the prison system, and despaired that the last public data available from the Department of Corrections came in 2019.
She said that’s a violation of state law, which requires the department report “not less than annually” to the governor and Legislature about the Department of Corrections’ health care delivery system.
“Citizens and elected officials like myself are given the run-around when we attempt to see the latest numbers or ask simple questions regarding the state of our prison system and our loved ones,” she said, adding, “Florida is the Sunshine State, yet the truth of our government is shrouded in darkness.”
The Florida Department of Corrections did not immediately return a request for comment.
Broward County Democrat Mike Gottlieb is a co-sponsor on Hart’s bill. A criminal defense attorney for more than three decades, he said that prisoners are human beings and deserve human rights.
“Being incarcerated is a punishment, but it should not mean a loss of dignity, safety, or access to essentials like food, health care, or humane living conditions, such as air conditioning,” he said.
“Denying prisoners their rights does not make society safer. It makes us less just. When we mistreat those of our prisoners, we create the cycle of violence and dehumanization that extends beyond the prison walls. Studies have shown that humane treatment leads to lower recidivism rates, helping prisoners reintegrate into society as productive members, rather than returning to crime.”
The Senate version (SB 358) of Hart’s legislation is being sponsored by Broward County Democrat Rosalind Osgood.
“Once the state of Florida takes possession of a person as an inmate, we have a responsibility,” she said. “When we take away somebody’s freedom because we’re holding them accountable for committing a crime, it doesn’t mean that gives us the opportunity to strip them of their dignity. A just society doesn’t abandon people once they’re behind bars.”
Florida Department of Corrections Secretary Ricky Dixon said in October 2023 that 75% of all housing units in Florida’s corrections system lack air-conditioning. A detailed report from the global consulting firm KPMG estimated that it would cost somewhere between $6 million and nearly $12 billion to repair buildings and construct new facilities, with hundreds of millions more needed to pay for staffing.
While many of Hart’s proposals to reform Florida’s prisons system haven’t reached fruition during her tenure in the House, a bill she is sponsoring this year that would allow more of the approximately 3,000 inmates who are eligible for parole to have a better chance of being released was passed in a House committee on Wednesday.
Florida eliminated parole for most inmates in the early 1980s, making most of the 88,000 prisoners in the corrections system ineligible. Another legislative proposal filed this year by Orange County Democratic Sen. Carlos Guillermo Smith (SB 1786) would expand the pool of inmates still eligible for parole. That measure has not been heard in any committee so far this session.
The issue of how criminal justice reform lost clout with conservatives in recent years was reflected during the race for the Republican nomination for president in 2023. That’s when Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis attacked Trump for supporting the First Step Act — although DeSantis supported it initially when he served in Congress.
Florida Phoenix is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Florida Phoenix maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Michael Moline for questions: info@floridaphoenix.com.
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This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2025.