by Bradley Parsons
Staff Writer
The State sent the City a past due notice on its share of the Department of Juvenile Justice’s tab and hinted that youth offenders may have to be released if payment isn’t made soon. The City responded that the check is in the mail.
The City reluctantly agreed last year to spend about $4 million to detain juveniles prior to court verdicts, a cost previously paid by the State. The City Council unanimously asked Gov. Jeb Bush to veto the plan — he didn’t — and the mayor’s office expressed concern that the City would have to spend millions without any say in how the department is run. Still, the mayor set aside the money in this year’s budget.
Concern about the new cost sharing wasn’t exclusive to Jacksonville. The Florida Association of Counties sued to have the law declared unconstitutional. Several of those counties also have not paid, but a spokesperson said the City wasn’t intentionally withholding the money.
“We are going to pay it,” said mayor’s office spokesperson Kristen Key. “We may have already paid it.”
Key said the City’s delinquency was an oversight, not a statement.
The State’s letter, written under Bush’s letterhead, said the recent legislation required counties to pay until the suit is resolved. It said the courts had denied a Sept. 30 motion for a temporary injunction that would have given the counties a grace period.
Continued refusal to pay could force cutbacks, the State said in a letter from Anthony Schembri, the secretary of the DJJ.
“The Department (Juvenile Justice) may be forced to drastically reduce detention services, which may result in a compromise in public safety,” said Schembri.
Despite widespread dissatisfaction with the new cost, nobody from the City suggested the City should refuse to pay. Although the Council voted 14-0 to ask Bush to veto the bill, most conceded that Jacksonville was likely stuck with the plan. It originated in the governor’s office and passed both State legislative bodies by a combined vote of 155 to 2.
The DJJ is expecting about $90 million from the counties next year, about 17 percent of its budget. Council member Suzanne Jenkins said previously that there was statewide concern that counties had no oversight in how the department is run. Without it, she said the DJJ had no reason to control costs.
“It’s like me shopping on your VISA card,” she said.
The City’s lobbyist to the State and federal government, Brad Thoburn, said the DJJ had a reputation for inefficiency but he said the City would likely make up the money it spends with an estimated $5 million windfall from other shifts in court funding.
The City intends to pay, but the FAC told the State some of its members will hold out until their suit reaches a decision. In a written response to the State’s letter, FAC executive director Mary Kay Cariseo took issue with the State’s suggestion that the counties could force unsafe cutbacks.
“Surely you cannot seriously be considering the release of dangerous detainees because of this funding dispute,” said Cariseo. “You have other options. We urge you to pursue them.”