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Florida’s New Detention Center Proposal: Wrong Priorities for Our State Another Detention Center in Florida? Here’s Why We Should Say No

Updated: 7 days ago

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Yesterday’s headlines confirmed what many of us have feared — there is a new push to build yet another detention center in Florida.


At a time when our state is facing record-high housing costs, skyrocketing insurance premiums, and shrinking access to quality education and healthcare, this proposal is more than just bad policy — it’s the wrong set of priorities.


Misplaced Priorities

Florida’s resources are finite. Every dollar we spend on building and maintaining detention facilities is a dollar we’re not investing in:

  • Affordable housing to ensure families aren’t priced out of their communities.

  • Job training and workforce development to strengthen our economy from the ground up.

  • Education that prepares our children for a competitive future.

  • Healthcare access so no one has to choose between a doctor’s visit and putting food on the table.


We must ask ourselves: Do we want to fund cages, or do we want to fund opportunities?


The Human Cost

Beyond the dollars and cents, there’s a human toll. Detention centers tear families apart, destabilize communities, and deepen mistrust between residents and institutions. This cycle of harm doesn’t make our neighborhoods safer — it makes them weaker.


As your representative, I believe in addressing root causes, not just symptoms. That means investing in programs that reduce crime by preventing it — through opportunity, not incarceration.


A Better Path Forward

Instead of funneling money into another detention center, Florida should be leading with:

  • Community-based public safety programs that build trust between law enforcement and residents.

  • Rehabilitation and re-entry initiatives that help people rebuild their lives after serving their time.

  • Partnerships with nonprofits and faith-based organizations to provide mentorship, counseling, and resources.


When we focus on keeping families together and giving people a fair shot, we create communities that thrive — not just survive.


Where Do You Stand?

This fight isn’t about politics — it’s about priorities. I want to hear from you:

  • Should Florida invest in building more detention centers, or should we direct those funds toward education, housing, and job creation?

  • How would you like to see our state’s budget reflect the values of our communities?


Leave a comment, share this post, and let’s make it clear: Florida deserves leaders who invest in people, not prisons.


— Bernard Taylor

Candidate for U.S. Congress, Florida District 21

 
 
 

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