Gov. Scott's request to expand inmate food growing program killed by Legislature

If prisoners are entitled to three hots and a cot, Gov. Rick Scott says they should at least have to help put that food on the table.

As part of his goal to trim prison costs, Scott said on his campaign website in 2010: "Paying competitive market-based salaries for corrections' staff, utilizing inmate labor to grow prison food and competitively bidding health care contracts resulting in public prison costs that are as low as private prisons, prisoner costs would be reduced by $1 billion."

In February 2011 when we evaluated Scott's progress toward his promise to use "inmate labor to grow prison food." We gave him an In the Works based on his budget proposal that cut $5.3 million in inmate food while giving the corrections department $2.5 million to expand the edible crops program.

At the time, Dan Ronay, the new chief of staff at the corrections department, told us the $2.5 million to expand the edible crops program would allow the department to purchase better equipment and irrigation systems. Adding the $2.5 million in increased costs to the reduction of $5.3 million translates to a savings of about $2.8 million in the first year, Ronay said. But that $2.5 million investment that will allow inmates to grow more fruits and vegetables translates to savings in future years as well, he said. (Ronay resigned in October after the abrupt August resignation of Ed Buss, the department's secretary, amid a dispute about a privatization effort.)

The Legislature didn't approve any funds for the edible crops program in the General Appropriations Act, although it did reduce the food service budget by $5.3 million this fiscal year, DOC spokeswoman Gretl Plessinger wrote in an e-mail.

Scott's recommendation for $2.5 million didn't survive the budget process. The Senate Criminal and Civil Justice Appropriations Subcommittee recommended funding of $1 million. However, the House's counter-offer was zero, and that is the one that prevailed.

The edible crops program still exists -- it has about $940,000 in funding for this year, according to corrections spokeswoman Jo Ellyn Rackleff. That's the same amount as the prior year, she said. What Scott tried to do was increase funding for prisoners to grow their own food, but the Legislature killed that idea for now. We rate this promise Stalled.