Department of Corrections announces closure of Bay City Work Camp

            The Bay City Work camp in Apalachicola will soon be closing its doors.

Chris Atkins, the warden at Franklin Correctional Institution in Carrabelle, said the decision was made this week to close the 20 year old work camp in Apalachicola and transfer the prisoners and employees to the new work camp at Franklin CI.

The facility houses over 250 inmates and has about 70 employees.

The closure will happen over the next few months.

Mister Atkins said no one would lose their jobs because of the move, in fact there will have to be additional hirings because the work camp in Carrabelle is bigger.

He said the closure is happening because of Department of Corrections budget deficits.

And the Work Camp in Apalachicola is not the only site being affected – work camps in Glades, Brevard and Liberty Counties are also being closed.

The County commission said it is opposed to the closure but understand why its happening.

Commissioners expressed concerns about the impacts the closure will have on the area.

The Bay City Work Camp provides many of the work crews that do much of the county labor for the road camp and landfill.

Mister Atkins assured the commission that the work crews will still be available; the county will just have to figure out ways to transport the prisoners the longer distance.

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