Florida to Appeal Prison Privatization Ruling

State Attorney Pam Bondi has filed an appeal to the 1st District Court of Appeal, late Monday afternoon, seeking to reverse a lower court ruling that halted plans to privatize 29 correctional facilities across South Florida.

Her office said the appeal was on behalf of the legislators.

Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford sided with Florida Police Benevolent Association attorneys who argued that lawmakers should have put the potential privatization of 29 prisons in South Florida into a separate bill, rather than as a proviso to the budget.

With Fulford's Sept. 30 ruling, the state Department of Corrections suspended a planned bid opening from companies seeking to privatize all or some of the correctional facilities.