Florida Department of Corrections

The Florida Supreme Court has declined to take up an appeal by a former state correctional officer who challenged his termination for using medical marijuana.

It says more than $2.2 billion is needed to fix issues such as leaking roofs and adding air conditioning to existing prisons.

Denise Rock is the executive director of the advocacy group Florida Cares Charity Corp.

Corrections officials are attempting to alleviate sweltering conditions in Florida’s unairconditioned prisons, but inmate advocates say the efforts are falling short.

Pay hikes, shorter shifts and shuttering facilities are some of the strategies Florida has employed to try to rehabilitate a prison system that leaders have said is in crisis.

As the state struggles with a shortage of correctional officers, a legislative panel this week will consider a plan that would activate Florida National Guard members to help at prisons, according to a document published Friday.

A group that advocates for prisoners and their families have started a social media campaign to draw attention to the importance of weekly visitation as the Florida Department of Corrections considers cutting access in half.

The Department of Corrections says the change will reduce the amount of contraband coming into prisons. Florida prisons are in the process of converting incoming snail mail to a digital-only format.

A top corrections official offered a stark picture of Florida’s prison system Wednesday, warning that lawmakers must boost salaries of corrections workers to avert a looming disaster as the system grapples with high turnover rates, dangerously low staffing levels and fatigued employees.

Officials in rural areas of North Florida where two prisons have been temporarily shuttered are pleading with state leaders to ensure that the closures aren’t permanent, arguing that the institutions are a vital part of the local economy.