By Sascha Cordner
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/wfsu/local-wfsu-991881.mp3
Tallahassee, FL – Governor Rick Scott has decided he will not appeal a court ruling that blocks plans to privatize about 30 prisons in South Florida. As Sascha Cordner reports, the deadline to file an appeal was Monday.
In September, a Leon Circuit Judge sided with the Florida Police Benevolent Association in its lawsuit against the state to block a prison privatization plan that was passed as part of the state budget. Lawyer for the union, Hal Johnson says he can only speculate as to what the Governor was thinking when he decided not to appeal:
"We assume that the Governor and his staff looked at everything and made a determination that it was a safer approach to go back to the Legislature and do things through a stand-alone bill as opposed to go back to the Supreme Court and delay the matter some more."
A Spokesman for the Governor's office says though Scott is not appealing, he still maintains that if the state can privatize prisons in a way that saves taxpayers money, then the Governor and the Legislature should look into it.