Teamsters Leader Calls on Gov. Scott to Respect Court Ruling on Privatization

Ken Wood Requests Governor Not Appeal Decision Halting Prison Privatization

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 3, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- In an open letter to Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Ken Wood, Acting President of Teamsters Local 2011, called on the governor to respect a recent court decision halting prison privatization.

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"It's good to know that the rule of law still applies in Florida, and the governor and elected officials should respect the rule of law," said Wood, who is also President of Teamsters Joint Council 75 in Tampa and a Florida resident.

On Sept. 30, Leon County Circuit Judge Jackie Fulford ruled that lawmakers violated the state's constitution by using budget language to allow prisons in 18 South Florida counties to

privatize.  

Wood applauded the judge's ruling and, in his letter, demanded that Scott not further waste the state's resources by appealing the decision, calling on the governor to "drop prison privatization once and for all."

Scott is already facing an investigation resulting from an ethics complaint filed by Wood. The State of Florida Commission on Ethics found last month that the Teamsters' complaint was "legally sufficient" to launch an investigation into Scott's plan to privatize state prisons.

The complaint, filed on Sept. 12, raises major concerns about Scott, political parties and candidates accepting nearly $1 million in political and inaugural donations from two companies that have advocated for the governor to privatize the state's prison system and are seeking contracts.

The Teamsters are assisting 20,000 Florida Department of Corrections officers seeking aggressive representation on the job. For more information, visit http://fdocteamsters.org and read the letter here.

Founded in 1903, the Teamsters Union represents 1.4 million hardworking men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. For more information, go to www.teamster.org.                                          

SOURCE Teamsters Joint Council 75