Florida SB 1710: West Coast Regional Water Supply Authority

Bill Text

1710 
 Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsperson 
2026-01-09T11:02:26Z 
Creating the Office of the Department of Corrections Ombudsperson within the Department of Corrections; establishing the Corrections Oversight Committee; authorizing the office to subpoena department records, employees, or contractors; requiring the office to conduct periodic inspections of department facilities; requiring the office to create an electronic family form and make it available on the office’s public website for a specified purpose, etc. 
Original Filed Version 
2026 
S 
GB 
General Bill 
__ 

 Florida Senate - 2026 SB 1710 

 By Senator Smith 

 17-00773-26 20261710__ 
 1 A bill to be entitled 
 2 An act relating to the Office of the Department of 
 3 Corrections Ombudsperson; creating s. 944.101, F.S.; 
 4 defining terms; creating the Office of the Department 
 5 of Corrections Ombudsperson within the Department of 
 6 Corrections; providing duties for the office; 
 7 specifying that the office is directed by the 
 8 Ombudsperson; requiring that the Ombudsperson be 
 9 selected by the Corrections Oversight Committee; 
 10 specifying the authority and duties of the 
 11 Ombudsperson; establishing the Corrections Oversight 
 12 Committee; providing for membership, appointment, and 
 13 terms of committee members; specifying that committee 
 14 members are not eligible for compensation but are 
 15 eligible for reimbursement of per diem and travel 
 16 expenses; requiring the committee to announce 
 17 Ombudsperson nominees publicly; requiring the 
 18 committee to hold quarterly meetings and at least one 
 19 annual public hearing; providing powers and duties of 
 20 the committee; requiring that the office have access 
 21 to department facilities for specified purposes; 
 22 providing powers and duties of the office; authorizing 
 23 the office to subpoena department records, employees, 
 24 or contractors; providing that specified 
 25 correspondence and communications are confidential and 
 26 privileged; requiring the office to conduct periodic 
 27 inspections of department facilities; requiring the 
 28 office to produce a report upon completion of an 
 29 inspection, make it available to the public, and 
 30 submit it to the Governor, the Legislature, and the 
 31 department; providing report requirements; requiring 
 32 that facilities inspected by the office be assigned a 
 33 safety and compliance classification; requiring the 
 34 department to respond, within a specified timeframe, 
 35 to each office inspection report; authorizing the 
 36 office to investigate complaints on specified matters; 
 37 authorizing the office to decline to investigate 
 38 complaints; prohibiting the office from investigating 
 39 complaints on specified matters; prohibiting the 
 40 office from levying fees; prohibiting the department 
 41 or its employees or contractors from terminating, 
 42 retaliating against, or discriminating against a 
 43 person who files a complaint; requiring the office to 
 44 produce an annual report by a specified date and make 
 45 it publicly available on its website and submit it to 
 46 the Governor, the Attorney General, the Legislature, 
 47 and the department; providing report requirements; 
 48 authorizing the department and the office to adopt 
 49 rules; creating s. 944.102, F.S.; defining terms; 
 50 requiring the office to create an electronic family 
 51 form and make it available on the office’s public 
 52 website for a specified purpose; requiring the office 
 53 to create an incarcerated person advocacy and support 
 54 services form; providing requirements relating to 
 55 making the form accessible to incarcerated persons; 
 56 providing for confidentiality and privilege of the 
 57 forms; providing office requirements relating to the 
 58 forms; requiring the office to create telephone 
 59 hotlines for specified purposes; providing office 
 60 requirements regarding the hotlines; prohibiting the 
 61 department and its employees and contractors from 
 62 terminating, retaliating against, or discriminating 
 63 against a person for filing a complaint or inquiry; 
 64 providing for redress of violations; authorizing the 
 65 department and the office to adopt rules; providing an 
 66 appropriation; providing effective dates. 
 67 
 68 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 
 69 
 70 Section 1. Effective January 1, 2027, section 944.101, 
 71 Florida Statutes, is created to read: 
 72 944.101 Office of the Department of Corrections 
 73 Ombudsperson.— 
 74 (1) As used in this section, the term: 
 75 (a) “Family member” includes a grandparent, a parent, a 
 76 sibling, a spouse or domestic partner, a child, an aunt, an 
 77 uncle, a cousin, a niece, a nephew, a grandchild, or any other 
 78 person related to an incarcerated person by blood, adoption, 
 79 marriage, or a fostering relationship. 
 80 (b) “Office” means the Office of the Department of 
 81 C