ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — The Orange County Jail Oversight Commission held its final meeting Monday as members work to address the spiking inmate population.

Together, they were able to come up with recommendations for the County Board of Commissioners.

What You Need To Know

  • The Orange County Jail Oversight Commission had its last meeting Monday to address overpopulation at the jail

  •  Commission members approved 31 recommendations to improve the jail and its resources

  • The Orange County chief of corrections detailed the booking process of those detained on local crimes with an ICE detainer

  • The next step is for the three subcommittee vice chairs to present these recommendations to the board of commissioners, which can approve or reject them

The commission wants to lower the cost of incarceration and address the growing need for health care services.

Three subcommittees came up with 31 recommendations to ensure the jail gives people the resources they need.

These recommendations involve criminal justice case processing, medical issues, mental health concerns and substance abuse, as well as recruitment and retention to improve the jail.

“One thing we will do is from these recommendations, we will bring the commission back to give them a report card on those recommendations," explained Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings. "Did we follow what they recommended or not? If we did not, then why were we not able to not follow up on that?”

Demings said that since Jan. 1, 2025, the jail has stayed around its population average of 3,000 to 3,100.

He brought this group together to ensure the county can make the correct improvements in a cost-efficient way.

“I believe that we have sufficient funding to adequately address the overwhelming majority of needs for our community," Demings said. "We could always use more money, but the fact of the matter is that we have to do what we can with what we have.”

But questions remain about those people detained by ICE at the Orange County Jail and whether they’re getting the proper due process.

“Because when a mother cannot find her husband, when a son cannot find their father or mother, when they are shipped off to Texas without so much as telling them where they are, that is un-American," exclaimed attorney Walker Smith.

But Orange County Corrections Chief Louis Quinones broke down what the process is like for people brought in for local crimes and an ICE detainer.

“They get checked by medical, we retrieve their property and everything else like that," Quinones shared. "That individual has the opportunity, immediately, to call their family and inform them that they are incarcerated.”

Quinones also said that flyers in multiple languages are made available near the phones that show detainees their rights.

“At our level, we’re doing what we can to make sure that we comply with the law and make sure that we treat people with dignity and respect and that we treat them humanely," Demings said. "And all of that happens at our jail.”

The next step is for the three subcommittee vice chairs to present these recommendations to the board of commissioners, which can approve or reject them.