To work as a law enforcement or corrections officer in Florida, our state’s Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission requires those hired to:
- Not have been convicted of any felony or of a misdemeanor that involves perjury
- Have processed fingerprints on file
- Have passed a physical exam
- Have good moral character as determined by a background investigation
But a lawsuit filed by Democratic lawmakers claims for Alligator Alcatraz the state waived the rules for the security officers at the facility.
WATCH: Lawmakers push for info on who is employed as security
“We don’t know who the people are, who are employing the guards. If they are state employees,” said State Senator Lori Berman, a Democrat who represents southern Palm Beach County. “If they’ve gone through any security training. If they’ve had background checks.”
Senator Berman adds her fellow Democrats who toured the facility this weekend, didn’t get answers.
“And they said the people who were the guards were wearing shirts that said, ‘Security,’” Berman said. “That’s all it said, so we really don’t know who employs them.”
While the DeSantis administration has not named the contractor, I found GardaWorld Federal Services in Boca Raton appeared to be looking for
security guards to work at the detention center.
Its LinkedIn page advertised for armed security guards in Ochopee for $25 an hour.
The application listed as qualifications passing a background check, and a physical, even though the state may not be requiring one.
Miami-Dade
Florida Democrats condemn 'Alligator Alcatraz' conditions after tour
I went to GardaWorld’s corporate offices in Boca Raton, but no one responded to my questions.
The chairman of Florida’s Republican Party did respond to my question, “Is it OK to trust a private company with security, that isn’t forced to follow mandates of state law?"
Chairman Evan Power replied, “I trust our government, I trust our contracting. I trust the ability that they’re taking under emergency actions to fix the problems that are facing Floridians who’ve been invaded.”
Power is referring to the large number of immigrants in our state and he supports the decision to waive background checks for guards at a facility that was put up and running in little more than a week.
“I find it interesting that Democrats are taking the time to care about immigration so much now, when they left the borders open.”
After I went to GardaWorld’s offices and started asking questions, it posted on its LinkedIn page that it is no longer taking applications for the position.
