Florida Senate Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Releases Proposed 2009-2010 Budget

On Wednesday, March 25 2009, the Florida Senate Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations (“Committee”) released its proposed budget for Fiscal Year (“FY”) 2009-2010.  The Committee is chaired by Senator Victor Crist (R-Tampa) and has spending authority over the public safety and courts budget.

Highlights of the Committee’s proposed budget for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (“DJJ”) are:

• Reduce grants and AIDS-contracted services:  ($153,600)
• Reduce funding for research and consultation contracts:  ($319,970)
• Eliminate vacant executive direction and quality assurance positions:  ($189,918; four positions)
• Eliminate youth custody officers in probation:  ($889,147; 11 positions)
• Reduce administrative positions in residential services:  ($284,584; five positions)
• Reduce vacant support positions in state secure residential institutions:  ($182,741; five positions)
• Eliminate the Independent Living Program:  ($470,879)
• Close St. John Detention Center:  ($340,540 General Revenue Funds and $1,671,088 in other trust funds; 39 positions)
• Reduce probation services and supervision by 10 percent:  ($5,458,324; 134.50 positions)
• Reduce Redirections Program:  ($754,346)
• Reduce the number of non-secure beds:  ($12.5 million)
• Reduce the number of secure beds:  ($5.525 million)
• Consolidate DJJ and Florida Department of Children and Families Information Technology Offices:  ($100,000)
• Swap General Revenue funds for a new driver registration fee into the Trust Fund as a funding source for prevention services:  $6.2 million
• Increase funding for alternatives to secure detention:  $583,224
• Funding for Low Volume Juvenile Assessment Centers:  $1 million
• Fingerprint retention:  $30,738
• Maintenance and repair:  $450,000

To view the Committee’s complete FY 2009-2010 proposed budget, click here.

The Florida House of Representatives Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Committee, which is chaired by Representative Sandy Adams (R-Oviedo), will release its proposed budget this week.

Should you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact Frank Mayernick Jr. at Colodny Fass.

To unsubscribe from this newsletter, please send an e-mail to ccochran@cftlaw.com