Florida Inmates Forced to Ride Out Hurricane Ian in Worst-Hit Area

Thousands of inmates in Hurricane Ian-affected areas of southwest Florida were transferred or evacuated as part of contingency plans developed prior to the major weather event.

The Florida Department of Corrections said that at least 25 facilities were evacuated, in cities including Jacksonville, St. Petersburg and Bradenton. The FDC, the state’s largest agency and third-largest state prison system in the U.S., houses over 80,000 inmates, approximately 2,500 of whom were evacuated or relocated “to facilities better equipped to weather the impacts of the storm.”

Paul Walker, a spokesperson for the FDC, told Newsweek that no inmates were released. He said the plan in place was successful.

“In Florida, it’s what we do,” he said. “Hurricanes are a part of life.”

It was reported that all facilities remain secure and that no inmates or on-duty staff suffered any injuries. All on-duty staff worked around the clock as normal, with staff from non-impacted regions assisting in the storm’s aftermath.

All inmates have food and water, part of pre-hurricane preparations that included bagged meals in case of power outages or inclement weather affecting the facilities’ insides.

Facility damage assessments are still ongoing, officials added.

In an aerial view, damaged buildings are seen in Hurricane Ian’s aftermath on September 29 in Fort Myers Beach, Florida. Jail and prison inmates in the region were evacuated or relocated as part of preparedness plans by local and state agencies. Joe Raedle/Getty Images

In jails in Lee and Collier counties, which are not overseen by the FDC, officials reported that no inmates were injured. The heavily hit Fort Myers is located in Lee County.

Lee County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Anita Iriarte told Miami New Times that the office declined to evacuate inmates from its 457-bed downtown Fort Myers facility as the Category 4 hurricane approached.

That decision was made even though Lee County’s own map indicates that the jail is in a mandatory evacuation zone.

On Thursday, Lee County Sheriff Carmine Marceno said in a statement that inmates at that facility are safe and “in an abundance of caution were relocated within the main jail to a higher floor.”

The Fort Myers News-Press reported that officials in Collier County, home to Naples, also confirmed that no inmate deaths or injuries were recorded in their jurisdiction.

Angel D’Angelo, co-founder of the advocacy organization Restorative Justice Coalition in Tampa, told Newsweek that his group was “disappointed” in the lack of evacuations in places like Lee and Collier counties, saying that a hurricane of this magnitude could lead to immense physical damage, health issues, long power outages and other “catastrophic” events.

“We’re disappointed that they did not make the decisions to evacuate in those areas….We hope officials will be held accountable,” D’Angelo said. “Officials who made the decision basically decided to gamble human lives.”

He did, however, praise Hillsborough County—the fourth-most populous county in Florida and home to Tampa.

Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Amanda Granit told Newsweek that approximately 160 inmates were moved from Orient Road Jail to Falkenburg Road Jail, as Orient is in an evacuation zone while Falkenburg is not.

Falkenburg has a total population of 2,785 inmates and 3,052 beds.

“Our detention deputies continued their shifts during the storm, monitoring the inmates and making sure the building remained safe for everyone inside,” Granit said. “Extra food and water was prepared ahead of time in case of any outages.

“Thankfully, we had no issues at the jail that have come to my attention.”

Newsweek reached out to Lee and Collier counties, as well as multiple advocacy groups including the ACLU Florida.