WHY CHARITABLE FUNDING IS NEEDED

The need is immediate. Public infrastructure change takes time.

The need is immediate. Public infrastructure change takes time.

The need is immediate. Public infrastructure change takes time.

Florida’s correctional system faces aging facilities, major capital needs, healthcare pressures, & competing legislative priorities. Cooling is one urgent need within a much larger infrastructure crisis.

Florida’s correctional system faces aging facilities, major capital needs, healthcare pressures, & competing legislative priorities. Cooling is one urgent need within a much larger infrastructure crisis.

Florida’s correctional system faces aging facilities, major capital needs, healthcare pressures, & competing legislative priorities. Cooling is one urgent need within a much larger infrastructure crisis.

Degrees of Humanity is raising charitable funds to move one defined project forward now, document what implementation requires, & help build the case for future implementation with public investment.

Degrees of Humanity is raising charitable funds to move one defined project forward now, document what implementation requires, & help build the case for future implementation with public investment.

Degrees of Humanity is raising charitable funds to move one defined project forward now, document what implementation requires, & help build the case for future implementation with public investment.

THE FUNDING GAP

There is no single barrier. Cooling competes with an entire system in need of repair.

There is no single barrier. Cooling competes with an entire system in need of repair.

There is no single barrier. Cooling competes with an entire system in need of repair.

AGING INFRASTRUCTURE
Many facilities were constructed before modern cooling systems became standard. Retrofitting may require electrical, mechanical, structural, ventilation, or building-system upgrades.

COMPETING URGENT NEEDS
Cooling competes with plumbing, electrical, security, healthcare, staffing, maintenance, replacement construction, and other life-safety needs.

LEGISLATIVE APPROPRIATIONS
FDC operates within funding authorized through the state budget process. Major statewide capital improvements generally require legislative prioritization and appropriations.

STATEWIDE SCALE
A systemwide solution involves hundreds of housing areas, different building conditions, ongoing operating costs, maintenance, staffing, & long-term capital planning.

A SYSTEM UNDER PRESSURE

Cooling is just one urgent need inside a much larger infrastructure crisis.

Cooling is just one urgent need inside a much larger infrastructure crisis.

Cooling is just one urgent need inside a much larger infrastructure crisis.

COOLING NEED

75%

75%

75%

Housing units reported without air conditioning, which is ~65,000 incarcerated humans.

$582 million

$582 million

Estimated statewide cooling cost for Central Cooling & Heating Systems with Duct Work & Roof Alterations

BROADER INFRASTRUCTURE NEEDS

$2.1–$2.2 billion

$2.1–$2.2 billion

$2.1–$2.2 billion

Immediate correctional infrastructure needs

$6.3–$11.8 billion

$6.3–$11.8 billion

$6.3–$11.8 billion

Estimated 20-year system investment

These estimates include needs such as electrical and plumbing systems, healthcare capacity, maintenance, facility replacement, security, staffing, and other capital requirements—not cooling alone.

$95,000

$95,000

Degrees of Humanity is not raising funds for Florida’s statewide infrastructure backlog. This campaign supports one defined cooling pilot that can help document what implementation requires.

Degrees of Humanity is not raising funds for Florida’s statewide infrastructure backlog. This campaign supports one defined cooling pilot that can help document what implementation requires.

Source: Reporting on the 2023 KPMG correctional master-planning presentation

Source: Reporting on the 2023 KPMG correctional master-planning presentation

WHY START WITH A PILOT

A statewide estimate cannot answer every question about one real installation.

A statewide estimate cannot answer every question about one real installation.

A statewide estimate cannot answer every question about one real installation.

Using mini-split air-conditioning units can reduce the need for ductwork & major roof alterations. This pilot will document what implementation requires inside an operating correctional environment, including equipment, electrical capacity, labor, access, scheduling, facility coordination, temperature monitoring, maintenance considerations, cost, & environmental performance.

Using mini-split air-conditioning units can reduce the need for ductwork & major roof alterations. This pilot will document what implementation requires inside an operating correctional environment, including equipment, electrical capacity, labor, access, scheduling, facility coordination, temperature monitoring, maintenance considerations, cost, & environmental performance.

Using mini-split air-conditioning units can reduce the need for ductwork & major roof alterations. This pilot will document what implementation requires inside an operating correctional environment, including equipment, electrical capacity, labor, access, scheduling, facility coordination, temperature monitoring, maintenance considerations, cost, & environmental performance.

Indoor mini-split air-conditioning unit connected to an outdoor condenser

01 — PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS
Funds a defined implementation.

01 — PHILANTHROPIC CONTRIBUTIONS
Funds a defined implementation.

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02 — MEASURED PILOT
Documents environmental and operational results.

02 — MEASURED PILOT
Documents environmental and operational results.

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03 — REPLICABLE EVIDENCE
Reduces uncertainty for future projects.

03 — REPLICABLE EVIDENCE
Reduces uncertainty for future projects.

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04 — PUBLIC INVESTMENT
Supports broader and sustainable implementation.

04 — PUBLIC INVESTMENT
Supports broader and sustainable implementation.

We advocate for legislative support because philanthropy can help demonstrate what is possible, but lasting scale requires public responsibility and investment.

We advocate for legislative support because philanthropy can help demonstrate what is possible, but lasting scale requires public responsibility and investment.

HEALTH & SAFETY

Heat risk is not distributed equally.

Heat risk is not distributed equally.

Heat risk is not distributed equally.

Age, chronic illness, limited mobility, dehydration, humidity, physical exertion, & certain medications may affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature. In correctional facilities, people have limited control over housing location, airflow, access to cooler spaces, hydration routines, or the timing of medical assistance.

Age, chronic illness, limited mobility, dehydration, humidity, physical exertion, & certain medications may affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature. In correctional facilities, people have limited control over housing location, airflow, access to cooler spaces, hydration routines, or the timing of medical assistance.

Age, chronic illness, limited mobility, dehydration, humidity, physical exertion, & certain medications may affect the body’s ability to regulate temperature. In correctional facilities, people have limited control over housing location, airflow, access to cooler spaces, hydration routines, or the timing of medical assistance.

GREATER MEDICAL VULNERABILITY
Older adults & people with cardiovascular, respiratory, kidney, metabolic, neurological, mental-health, or other chronic conditions may face increased risk during prolonged heat.

MEDICATION-RELATED CONCERNS
Some medications may affect sweating, hydration, circulation, alertness, or the body’s ability to release heat.

LIMITED ABILITY TO SEEK RELIEF
Incarcerated people & Correctional Officers during their shifts cannot independently leave the building, relocate to a cooling center, or change the physical conditions around them.

LIVED EXPERIENCE

Medical evidence explains the risk. Firsthand accounts reveal the experience.

Medical evidence explains the risk. Firsthand accounts reveal the experience.

Medical evidence explains the risk. Firsthand accounts reveal the experience.

Letters & perspectives collected from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, family members, correctional staff, advocates, & volunteers describe sleepless nights, constant sweating, dizziness, fatigue & exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, skin rashes, irritability, concerns about medical vulnerability, operational stress, & the challenge of participating meaningfully in daily rehabilitation programs.

Letters & perspectives collected from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, family members, correctional staff, advocates, & volunteers describe sleepless nights, constant sweating, dizziness, fatigue & exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, skin rashes, irritability, concerns about medical vulnerability, operational stress, & the challenge of participating meaningfully in daily rehabilitation programs.

Letters & perspectives collected from incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people, family members, correctional staff, advocates, & volunteers describe sleepless nights, constant sweating, dizziness, fatigue & exhaustion, difficulty concentrating, skin rashes, irritability, concerns about medical vulnerability, operational stress, & the challenge of participating meaningfully in daily rehabilitation programs.

Explore Voices & Stories

Explore Voices & Stories

Submit a Heat Story

Submit a Heat Story

LITIGATION & ACCOUNTABILITY

A federal lawsuit alleges that extreme heat contributed to four deaths at one Florida prison.

A federal lawsuit alleges that extreme heat contributed to four deaths at one Florida prison.

A federal lawsuit alleges that extreme heat contributed to four deaths at one Florida prison.

A federal class-action lawsuit filed in 2024 on behalf of three incarcerated plaintiffs alleges that inadequate ventilation & the absence of air conditioning at Dade Correctional Institution placed elderly & disabled people at serious risk & contributed to four deaths at the facility.

A federal class-action lawsuit filed in 2024 on behalf of three incarcerated plaintiffs alleges that inadequate ventilation & the absence of air conditioning at Dade Correctional Institution placed elderly & disabled people at serious risk & contributed to four deaths at the facility.

A federal class-action lawsuit filed in 2024 on behalf of three incarcerated plaintiffs alleges that inadequate ventilation & the absence of air conditioning at Dade Correctional Institution placed elderly & disabled people at serious risk & contributed to four deaths at the facility.

The complaint describes an 81-year-old wheelchair user who allegedly experienced chest pain & difficulty breathing, was returned to his dorm after seeking care, & was later found unresponsive during extreme heat. The lawsuit states that exhaust fans in the dorm were not functioning & that the outdoor heat index reached approximately 104 degrees that day.

The complaint describes an 81-year-old wheelchair user who allegedly experienced chest pain & difficulty breathing, was returned to his dorm after seeking care, & was later found unresponsive during extreme heat. The lawsuit states that exhaust fans in the dorm were not functioning & that the outdoor heat index reached approximately 104 degrees that day.

The complaint describes an 81-year-old wheelchair user who allegedly experienced chest pain & difficulty breathing, was returned to his dorm after seeking care, & was later found unresponsive during extreme heat. The lawsuit states that exhaust fans in the dorm were not functioning & that the outdoor heat index reached approximately 104 degrees that day.

The plaintiffs allege violations of the Eighth Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. These remain allegations in litigation & should not be presented as final findings of fact or liability.

The plaintiffs allege violations of the Eighth Amendment, the Americans with Disabilities Act, and the Rehabilitation Act. These remain allegations in litigation & should not be presented as final findings of fact or liability.

The case illustrates the medical, legal, operational, & human consequences that may arise when vulnerable people remain exposed to conditions they cannot change.

The case illustrates the medical, legal, operational, & human consequences that may arise when vulnerable people remain exposed to conditions they cannot change.

The case illustrates the medical, legal, operational, & human consequences that may arise when vulnerable people remain exposed to conditions they cannot change.

THE ROLE OF DEGREES OF HUMANITY

This pilot is not an alternative to state responsibility.

This pilot is not an alternative to state responsibility.

This pilot is not an alternative to state responsibility.

It is a practical way to act while broader funding remains unresolved. By moving one defined project forward & documenting what it requires, Degrees of Humanity can help transform concern into evidence, evidence into a replicable model, & a model into a stronger case for public investment.

Help turn one cooling pilot into a path toward safer conditions.

Help turn one cooling pilot into a path toward safer conditions.

Help turn one cooling pilot into a path toward safer conditions.

Your support can move the CFRC pilot from planning to implementation & logistical data with results needed to advance future cooling projects.

Your support can move the CFRC pilot from planning to implementation & logistical data with results needed to advance future cooling projects.

Your support can move the CFRC pilot from planning to implementation & logistical data with results needed to advance future cooling projects.

Support the CFRC Pilot

Support the CFRC Pilot

Explore the CFRC Pilot

Explore the CFRC Pilot

SOURCES & CONTEXT

Public Information Sources

Public Information Sources

Public Information Sources

Florida’s crumbling prison system will cost billions to fix, new report says

Publisher: Axios Tampa Bay

Publication date: November 17, 2023

Description: Summarizes the KPMG correctional master-planning presentation to Florida lawmakers, including reported immediate infrastructure needs and estimated 20-year correctional-system costs.


Florida legislative discussion & FDC testimony regarding housing units without air conditioning

Publishing organization: Florida Legislature / FDC testimony

Supports: reported share of prison housing units without air conditioning.


Reporting on the estimated statewide air-conditioning cost

Publishing organization: established news organization or primary document where available

Supports: reported approximately $582 million statewide estimate.


2024 federal class-action lawsuit concerning Dade Correctional Institution

Publishing organization: federal court filing

Supports: allegations about heat, ventilation, disability risk, and claimed legal violations.


Authoritative public-health guidance regarding heat illness & heat vulnerability

Publishing organization: CDC or other authoritative public-health source

Supports: general heat-health vulnerability context.


Additional exact external source links will be added after each destination is reviewed & confirmed.