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Gov Scott looking at prison privatization options

Governor Rick Scott says he’s looking into privatizing the state’s South Florida prisons on his own, even though a proposal to do as such died in the Legislature. Sascha Cordner has more.

Scott says even though the proposal was not one of his legislative priorities, he feels lawmakers let Florida taxpayers down by voting against the prison privatization bill.

“Here was an opportunity to that the Senate had to give us the opportunity to save a significant amount of money. Why wouldn’t we save that money and put that money into education and textbooks, and have the right amount of health care safety nets, instead of spend the money where we don’t need to. So, I’m disappointed that the Senate didn’t do that. I’m going to look into what I have the opportunity to do.”

The prison privatization bill was killed by a bipartisan 21 to 19 vote on the Senate Floor with critics saying there is no clear cost savings. But, under current law, the Governor does not need the Legislature’s permission to move forward with privatizing the state’s prison system.

Sascha Cordner has more than ten years of public radio experience. It includes working at NPR member station WUFT-FM in Gainesville for several years. She's worked in both radio and TV, serving in various capacities as a reporter, producer and anchor. She's also a graduate of the University of Florida with a bachelor's degree in telecommunications. She is the recipient of 15 awards from the Associated Press, Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ), and Edward R. Murrow. Her award-winning stories include her coverage on the infamous “Dozier School for Boys” and a feature titled "Male Breast Cancer: Lost in the Sea of Pink." Currently, Sascha serves as the host and producer of local and state news content for the afternoon news program "All Things Considered" at WFSU. Sascha primarily covers criminal justice and social services issues. When she's not reporting, Sascha likes catching up on her favorite TV shows, singing and reading. Follow Sascha Cordner on Twitter:@SaschaCordner.