By Steve Bousquet
Miami Herald
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — The state of Florida will soon privatize 30 prisons to save money, but before that, taxpayers will be on the hook for a payout of up to $25 million.
That’s how much the Department of Corrections says it will cost to pay more than 4,000 displaced state corrections workers for their accumulated vacation time, sick leave and special compensatory time for working on holidays.
The hidden expense was never discussed in public last spring when the Legislature pushed ahead with the most ambitious privatization venture in the history of state government. Now, the prison system — already coping with a series of budget cuts — is forced to find the money.
Full Story: Privatization of prison comes with an unexpected $25 million expense