When Hurricane Milton struck Florida from October 5 to October 10, multiple counties decided not to evacuate their incarcerated populations, drawing significant criticism. Approximately 21,000 detained people were in areas affected by evacuation mandates. Yet, several counties, including Manatee, Sarasota, Hernando, Pasco, Charlotte, St. Johns, and Lee, kept inmates in their jail facilities despite forecasts of life-threatening conditions.

Local officials from these counties stated that moving inmates would either be logistically challenging or unnecessary due to the structure and safety measures within the jail facilities. For example, officials from Manatee County asserted that the local jail, although in Zone A, was secure, relying on emergency power generators and elevated areas in case of flooding. Nonetheless, the Florida public still felt inmates were at significant risk during the hurricane.

The organization Campaign to Fight Toxic Prisons criticized the local officials’ decisions, describing them as a blatant disregard for the lives of incarcerated people. The group’s disaster response team highlighted past hurricane situations where inmates faced extreme risks due to neglect, often left without essential services like drinking water and medical supplies if the infrastructure was compromised. Advocates argued that failing to evacuate violated the duty of care that authorities owed to detained individuals, as established by the 8th Amendment.

The response to juvenile detainees particularly faced scrutiny, with facilities such as Palmetto Youth Academy and Deep Creek Academy in mandatory evacuation zones choosing not to relocate residents even though they were technically considered children. According to The Appeal, the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice claimed that these facilities had sufficient emergency supplies and backup power but did not describe any evacuation efforts.

This incident added to an ongoing debate about prisoner safety during natural disasters in Florida, with legal experts arguing that ignoring evacuation orders for jails may have constituted cruel and unusual punishment under US law. Hurricane Milton highlighted a broader issue in emergency management policies for incarcerated people, drawing attention to the need for thorough and inclusive evacuation plans for facilities in high-risk areas.

Works Cited

Now, Democracy. ““Complete Neglect”: Thousands Were Not Evacuated from Florida Jails & Prisons ahead of Hurricane Milton.” Democracy Now!, 10 Oct. 2024, www.democracynow.org/2024/10/10/milton_prisons.

Pinos, Gabriella. “Some Tampa Bay Counties Didn’t Evacuate Jails ahead of Hurricane Milton.” WUSF, WUSF, 10 Oct. 2024, www.wusf.org/courts-law/2024-10-10/some-tampa-bay-counties-did-not-evacuate-jails-ahead-hurricane-milton.

Skinner, Anna. “Florida Sheriff Urges Evacuations While Inmates Stuck in Jail during Milton.” Newsweek, 9 Oct. 2024, www.newsweek.com/hurricane-milton-florida-sheriff-evacuations-jail-inmates-1966518.

Weill-Greenberg, Elizabeth. “Caught in the Storm: How Florida Prisons and Jails Are Responding to Hurricane Milton.” Theappeal.org, 9 Oct. 2024, theappeal.org/hurricane-milton-florida-jails-prisons-evacuations/.