(1) The department may not enter into a contract or series of contracts unless the department determines that the contract or series of contracts in total for the facility will result in a cost savings to the state of at least 7 percent over the public provision of a similar facility. Such cost savings as determined and certified by the Auditor General must be based upon the actual costs associated with the construction and operation of similar facilities or services as determined by the department. The department shall calculate all of the cost components that determine the inmate per diem in correctional facilities of a substantially similar size, type, and location that are operated by the department, including administrative costs associated with central administration. Services that are provided to the department by other governmental agencies at no direct cost to the department shall be assigned an equivalent cost and included in the per diem.
(2) Reasonable projections of payments of any kind to the state or any political subdivision thereof for which the private entity would be liable because of its status as private rather than a public entity, including, but not limited to, corporate income and sales tax payments, shall be included as cost savings in all such determinations. In addition, the costs associated with the appointment and activities of each contract monitor shall be included in such determination.
(3) In counties where the department pays its employees a competitive area differential, the cost for the public provision of a similar correctional facility may include the competitive area differential paid by the department.
(4) The department shall provide a report detailing the state cost to design, finance, acquire, lease, construct, and operate a facility similar to the private correctional facility on a per diem basis. This report shall be provided to the Auditor General in sufficient time that it may be certified to be included in the request for proposals.
(5)(a) At the request of the Speaker of the House of Representatives or the President of the Senate, the Prison Per-Diem Workgroup shall develop consensus per diem rates for use by the Legislature. The Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability and the staffs of the appropriations committees of both the Senate and the House of Representatives are the principals of the workgroup. The workgroup may consult with other experts to assist in the development of the consensus per diem rates. All meetings of the workgroup shall be open to the public as provided in chapter 286.

Terms Used In Florida Statutes 957.07

  • Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
  • department: means the Department of Corrections. See Florida Statutes 957.02
  • Fiscal year: The fiscal year is the accounting period for the government. For the federal government, this begins on October 1 and ends on September 30. The fiscal year is designated by the calendar year in which it ends; for example, fiscal year 2006 begins on October 1, 2005 and ends on September 30, 2006.
  • Lease: A contract transferring the use of property or occupancy of land, space, structures, or equipment in consideration of a payment (e.g., rent). Source: OCC
  • Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability: means an entity designated by joint rule of the Legislature or by agreement between the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives. See Florida Statutes 1.01
  • political subdivision: include counties, cities, towns, villages, special tax school districts, special road and bridge districts, bridge districts, and all other districts in this state. See Florida Statutes 1.01
(b) When developing the consensus per diem rates, the workgroup must:

1. Use data provided by the department from the most recent fiscal year to determine per diem costs for the following activities:

a. Custody and control;
b. Health services;
c. Substance abuse programs; and
d. Educational programs;
2. Include the cost of departmental, regional, institutional, and program administration and any other fixed costs of the department;
3. Calculate average per diem rates for the following offender populations: adult male, youthful offender male, and female; and
4. Make per diem adjustments, as appropriate, to account for variations in size and location of correctional facilities.
(c) The consensus per diem rates determined by the workgroup may be used to assist the Legislature in determining the level of funding provided to privately operated prisons to meet the 7-percent savings required of private prisons by this chapter.
(d) If a private vendor chooses not to renew the contract at the appropriated level, the department shall terminate the contract as provided in s. 957.14.
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