By Matt Dixon
Jacksonville.com
TALLAHASSEE — The state has traded one private prison giant for another when deciding in October to award three contracts to manage 3,854 prison beds to The GEO Group, a private prison management company that estimates the new contracts will be worth $57 million annually.
The Boca Raton-based company, which already oversees two prison facilities, now manages prisons that house 76 percent of the state’s private prison beds. The expiring contracts are currently held by Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America.
A CCA spokesman said the company was “disappointed with the decisions ... [but] respects the state’s decision and will work closely with them and the successful bidder to ensure a safe, seamless transition.”
The consolidation of private prison beds comes as the controversial industry has grown in Florida.
Full story: New contracts give private prison giant nearly 80 percent of Florida’s private prison market