BRADFORD COUNTY, Fla. – Florida's 148 prison facilities remain on lockdown in response to tips about potential revolts at several facilities, the Florida Department of Corrections said.
The lockdown means recreational and educational areas will be off limits to all 97,000 inmates. But inmates will still have access to meal halls, phone areas and bathrooms, according to the department.
The heightened security measures come a day after the department announced Wednesday it was canceling weekend visitation privileges at major institutions, work camps and annex facilities out of an "abundance of caution."
In a statement, a department spokeswoman said the measures were taken to ensure the safety of the community as well as inmates and prison staff.
"In response to credible intelligence indicating that small groups of inmates at several institutions may attempt to disrupt FDC operations and impact safety and security, FDC has taken steps to enhance the security of its institutions across the state this weekend," the statement said in part.
About 12,000 of the nearly 100,000 inmates housed in the state fill 13 prisons in the North Florida area -- most in Baker, Columbia, Bradford and Union counties.
An employee at Florida State Prison in Raiford told News4Jax on Friday that he's never seen a statewide lockdown like this one in his more than 30 years with the Department of Corrections.
The Department of Correction said the last time multiple facilities were put on lockdown was last October in preparation for Hurricane Matthew, but there's no recent memory of a statewide-level lockdown like this one.
It's unclear exactly how long the lockdown will persist.
As the Department of Corrections has as much staff on duty as possible during the lockdown, there continues to be a need for more corrections officers. To learn more about a bill Gov. Rick Scott recently signed to increase pay for officers, click here. To learn more about Florida Department of Corrections hiring bonuses, click here.