THE CAPITAL, TALLAHASSEE, Feb. 2, 2012

David Royse and Margie Menzel, The News Service of Florida

The House moved forward Wednesday on a budget that relies for savings on closing several prisons, rejecting pleas from tiny Jefferson County, where the planned closing of the local penitentiary could devastate the rural north Florida community's economy.

Members of the area's legislative delegation offered amendments to the House budget as it was heard in the Appropriations Committee on Wednesday to try to save Jefferson Correctional Institution, one of 11 facilities the Department of Corrections plans to close. They failed.

The House isn't necessarily driving the prison closures, which were put forward by Gov. Rick Scott's corrections agency. But House budget writers, trying to close a shortfall of at least $1.5 billion, have built in nearly $70 million in savings from the closures.

Dozens of residents of Jefferson County just east of Tallahassee showed up at the budget committee meeting to implore the panel to restore $10 million for the DOC, which could allow Jefferson C.I. to remain open. That was the subject of three different amendments filed by area lawmakers, none of which were accepted.

If the change were made, the math simply wouldn't work, said an apologetic Rep. Rich Glorioso, R-Plant City, the chairman of the subcommittee that writes the criminal justice budget.

"It would throw my budget completely out of whack," he said.

Reps. Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda, Alan Williams and Leonard Bembry, all Democrats, who represent parts of north Florida around Tallahassee, urged the committee to take Jefferson County as a special case.

JCI is the countys largest employer. Clerk of Court Kirk Reams guessed the impact of closing the prison at $33 million on an annual county budget of $20 million a year. And, there aren't many other jobs.

"There has not been a prison that has ever been closed in this state that will have the economic impact that this has on our county, said Wendy Bitner, a Jefferson County resident, and lobbyist hired to help the county try to avoid the fate of losing its only large employer. "I just want you to be aware of the domino effect this will have on us."

"That county is the most fiscally constrained county in the state of Florida, added Vasilinda, of Tallahassee. It has a faltering education system. It has only one piece of economic development and that is that prison, with 177 jobs."

Vasilinda, along with other members of the capital-area delegation, met Wednesday with Gov. Rick Scott to plead their case.

Sen. Charlie Dean said Scott needs all the help he can get in the Senate on a separate prison privatization plan, but that no deals were made.

Scott told Dean he needed help on the privatization bill. Dean told him he wouldn't be able to help.

"I told him, 'Nothing personal, I have a right to pursue my beliefs,'" said Dean, R-Inverness.

Dean, a former sheriff, is one of several Republicans in the Senate who oppose the privatization bill, which now looks like it may be in trouble.

But the issue at hand closing some prisons, rather than privatizing them is separate, and looks to be moving ahead. The House Appropriations Committee passed its $69.2 billion budget with the prison closing plan in place. The budget is now ready for the House floor.

Jefferson County Commission Chairman Stephen Fulford said 35 percent of the county's workforce is employed by some form of government, with many of them commuting to Tallahassee for state jobs. Another round of pink slips could be coming for them, too, with budget cuts.

"Many of our people already expect to be the victims of reductions here in Tallahassee," Fulford said. "Were going to experience a double hit on these job losses."

Rep. Leonard Bembry said the issue was more than critical.

"This may be a 100-year event for this community," said Bembry, D-Greenville.

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UPDATED 2.1.2012 7pm by Julie Montanaro

Jefferson Correctional is one of 11 facilities slated to be shut down by the state. The Florida Department of Corrections estimates the closures will save more than 67 million dollars.

Today, employees of that prison and leaders in that town tried to convince lawmakers to consider the human cost.

They filled row after row ... Jefferson Correctional employees, business owners, local leaders ... alll trying to save the prison and the small town economy that depends on it.

"Representatitve Bembry said it's like taking Disney World out of Orlando or the University of Florida out of Gainesville," Representative Michelle Rehwinkel Vasilinda told the house appropriations committee.

"We just ask that you not balance the budget on the back of one of the most rural and poorest counties in the state," Jefferson County Commissioner Stephen Fulford pleaded.

The Department of Corrections announced last month that JCI would close April first, taking 177 jobs with it. Local leaders estimate the financial impact at 33 million dollars with a ripple effect on businesses, schools and even utility rates.

Local representatives proposed a series of budget ammendments Wednesday - that would redirect $10 milllion dollars to keep the doors at JCI open.

"We're spending millions of dollars to attract out of state corporations to our state, but yet, here's a ten million dollar appropriation that will keep jobs here," Representative Ron Saunders said as he pushed for passage of one of the amendments.

"It would throw my budget completely out of whack and that becomes the issue that we're dealing with," argued Representative Rich Glorioso. "I would ask members to vote this down."

The house appropriations committee did just that.

"Rick Scott says the biggest asset to Florida is its people, but what they did today didn't live up to what he said," LT Jerry Loggins said in the hallway after the vote. "When they turned around and said okay, forget the little small towns, we'll just move on to bigger and better things, that's a disgrace."

"This is a lot of uncertainty," said SGT Darrell Freeman as he fought back a wave of emotion. What are you going to do? "I don't know," he said, "I have no idea where they'll send me."

One of the ammendments that would have funded J-C-I was temporarily postponed, which means it is not dead, but there is no word on when - or if - it will be proposed again.
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February 1, 2012 1:45pm by Julie Montanaro

More than 100 people from Jefferson County flooded a meeting of the House Appropriations Committee this morning.

Correctional officers and other prison employees listened as local leaders and state representatives made passionate pleas to keep the prison open.

"We just ask that you not balance the budget on the back of one of the most rural and poorest counties in the state," said Jefferson County Commissioner Stephen Fulford.

"Taking JCI out of Jefferson County is like taking Disney World out of Orlando, or the University of Florida out of Gainesville," Representative Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda said. "I think we're looking at a ghost town here."

The ammendments sought to take JCI off the Department of Corrections closure list and divert approximately $10 million dollars from prison privitization or other funds to pay for it.

An ammendment by Representative Michelle Rehwinkel-Vasilinda was temporarily postponed.

An ammendment by Representative Leonard Bembry was voted down.

An initial voice vote gave JCI employees hope, but when the individual committee members were polled, the "no" votes prevailed. That included a no vote from local lawmaker Marti Coley. Another representative who voted against the amendment said it would throw his "whole budget out of whack."

Representative Alan Williams also proposed an ammendment that would keep JCI open. We are trying to find out if that has come up for a vote yet.

The Department of Corrections announced its plans to close JCI last month. It said shutting down 11 prisons and work camps could save the state more than $67 million.