DeSantis Left Out Key Info that Ruins His Latest Threat

Ron DeSantis recently made quite a stir when he threatend to build a state prison near Walt Disney World. That was the latest in an increasingly off-the-wall string of public meltdowns he’s had about his ongoing war with Disney. He thought the threat of a prison nearby would make Disney fall in line. After all, who wants to vacation near a prison?

As it turns out, there are already prisons nearby. Florida’s Department of Corrections is the largest agency in the state. It’s also the third largest prison system in the country. It incarcerates 80,000 inmates and supervises nearly 146,000 offenders in the community, according to its website. We guess they’d have to have a large prison system to deal with all of the “Florida man” incidents.

With a prison system that large, it’s inconceivable that there wouldn’t be at least one prison near Walt Disney World. In fact, there are two: Polk Correctional Facility and Lake Correctional Facility. Both are within 20 miles of the Walt Disney World Resort. We guess someone forgot to tell DeSantis where the prisons in his state were located.

Credit: PrisonInfo

Polk Correctional Facility is located just off of I-4 near the western edge of Disney’s property. It’s a male prison with approximately 1,208 inmates. Custody levels range from minimum to medium security and include a closed unit. Closed is a step below maximum security, which is reserved for the worst offenders.

Credit: Gainesville.com

Lake Correctional Facility is a maximum security prison (though they also have minimum, medium, and closed security levels as well). It houses approximately 1,100 adult male inmates. It’s located off of Highway 27 about 20 miles northwest of Disney World.

No one believed Governor DeSantis was really going to build an entire prison just to upset Disney but this latest threat is embarrassing to say the least. You would expect a governor, especially one rumored to have presidential hopes, to behave more befitting of his position. Having temper tantrums because a theme park said mean things about something you did isn’t exactly confidence inspiring. In life people are going to say things about what you do and even who you are. It’s important to know how to rise above it. Unfortunately Ron DeSantis has never learned this lesson.