The Florida Senate

957.04  Contract requirements.--

(1)  A contract entered into under this chapter for the operation of private correctional facilities shall maximize the cost savings of such facilities and shall:

(a)  Be negotiated with the firm found most qualified. However, a contract for private correctional services may not be entered into by the commission unless the commission determines that the contractor has demonstrated that it has:

1.  The qualifications, experience, and management personnel necessary to carry out the terms of the contract.

2.  The ability to expedite the siting, design, and construction of correctional facilities.

3.  The ability to comply with applicable laws, court orders, and national correctional standards.

(b)  Indemnify the state and the department, including their officials and agents, against any and all liability, including, but not limited to, civil rights liability. Proof of satisfactory insurance is required in an amount to be determined by the commission, following consultation with the Division of Risk Management of the Department of Insurance. Not less than 30 days prior to the release of each request for proposals by the commission, the commission shall request the written recommendation of the division regarding indemnification of the state and the department under this paragraph. Within 15 days after such request, the division shall provide a written recommendation to the commission regarding the amount and manner of such indemnification. The commission shall adopt the division's recommendation unless, based on substantial competent evidence, the commission determines a different amount and manner of indemnification is sufficient.

(c)  Require that the contractor seek, obtain, and maintain accreditation by the American Correctional Association for the facility under that contract. Compliance with amendments to the accreditation standards of the association is required upon the approval of such amendments by the commission.

(d)  Require that the proposed facilities and the management plans for the inmates meet applicable American Correctional Association standards and the requirements of all applicable court orders and state law.

(e)  Establish operations standards for correctional facilities subject to the contract. The commission may waive any rule, policy, or procedure of the department related to the operations standards of correctional facilities that are inconsistent with the mission of the commission to establish cost-effective, privately operated correctional facilities.

(f)  Require the contractor to be responsible for a range of dental, medical, and psychological services; diet; education; and work programs at least equal to those provided by the department in comparable facilities. The work and education programs must be designed to reduce recidivism, and include opportunities to participate in such work programs as authorized pursuant to s. 946.523.

(g)  Require the selection and appointment of a full-time contract monitor. The contract monitor shall be appointed and supervised by the commission. The contractor is required to reimburse the commission for the salary and expenses of the contract monitor. It is the obligation of the contractor to provide suitable office space for the contract monitor at the correctional facility. The contract monitor shall have unlimited access to the correctional facility.

(h)  Be for a period of 3 years and may be renewed for successive 2-year periods thereafter. However, the state is not obligated for any payments to the contractor beyond current annual appropriations.

(2)  Each contract entered into for the design and construction of a private correctional facility or juvenile commitment facility must include:

(a)  Notwithstanding any provision of chapter 255 to the contrary, a specific provision authorizing the use of tax-exempt financing through the issuance of tax-exempt bonds, certificates of participation, lease-purchase agreements, or other tax-exempt financing methods. Pursuant to s. 255.25, approval is hereby provided for the lease-purchase of up to two private correctional facilities and any other facility authorized by the General Appropriations Act.

(b)  A specific provision requiring the design and construction of the proposed facilities to meet the applicable standards of the American Correctional Association and the requirements of all applicable court orders and state law.

(c)  A specific provision requiring the contractor, and not the commission, to obtain the financing required to design and construct the private correctional facility or juvenile commitment facility built under this chapter.

(d)  A specific provision stating that the state is not obligated for any payments that exceed the amount of the current annual appropriation.

(3)(a)  Each contract for the designing, financing, acquiring, leasing, constructing, and operating of a private correctional facility shall be subject to ss. 255.2502 and 255.2503.

(b)  Each contract for the designing, financing, acquiring, leasing, and constructing of a private juvenile commitment facility shall be subject to ss. 255.2502 and 255.2503.

(4)  A contract entered into under this chapter does not accord third-party beneficiary status to any inmate or juvenile offender or to any member of the general public.

(5)  Each contract entered into by the commission must include substantial minority participation unless demonstrated by evidence, after a good faith effort, as impractical and must also include any other requirements the commission considers necessary and appropriate for carrying out the purposes of this chapter.

(6)  Notwithstanding s. 253.025(7), the Board of Trustees of the Internal Improvement Trust Fund need not approve a lease-purchase agreement negotiated by the commission if the commission finds that there is a need to expedite the lease-purchase.

(7)(a)  Notwithstanding s. 253.025 or s. 287.057, whenever the commission finds it to be in the best interest of timely site acquisition, it may contract without the need for competitive selection with one or more appraisers whose names are contained on the list of approved appraisers maintained by the Division of State Lands of the Department of Environmental Protection in accordance with s. 253.025(6)(b). In those instances when the commission directly contracts for appraisal services, it shall also contract with an approved appraiser who is not employed by the same appraisal firm for review services.

(b)  Notwithstanding s. 253.025(6), the commission may negotiate and enter into lease-purchase agreements before an appraisal is obtained. Any such agreement must state that the final purchase price cannot exceed the maximum value allowed by law.

(8)  Buildings and other improvements to real property which are financed under paragraph (2)(a) and which are leased to the Correctional Privatization Commission are considered to be owned by the Correctional Privatization Commission for the purposes of this section whereby the terms of the lease, the buildings, and other improvements will become the property of the state at the expiration of the lease. For any facility that is bid and built under the authority of requests for proposals made by the Correctional Privatization Commission between December 1993 and October 1994 and that is operated by a private vendor, a payment in lieu of taxes, from funds appropriated for the Correctional Privatization Commission, shall be paid until the expiration of the lease to local taxing authorities in the local government in which the facility is located in an amount equal to the ad valorem taxes assessed by counties, municipalities, school districts, and special districts.

History.--s. 40, ch. 93-406; s. 2, ch. 94-148; s. 56, ch. 96-312; s. 13, ch. 96-420; s. 22, ch. 96-422; s. 124, ch. 99-3; s. 26, ch. 99-4; s. 6, ch. 99-271; s. 12, ch. 2001-242.