Section 944.714 - Quality assurance and standards of operation(1) The level and quality of programs provided by a private vendor at a contractor-operated correctional facility must be at least equal to programs provided at a correctional facility operated by the department that houses similar types of inmates and must be at a cost that provides the state with a substantial savings, as determined by a private accounting firm selected by the Department of Corrections.(2) All contractor-employed correctional officers employed by a private vendor must be certified, at the private vendor's expense, as having met the minimum qualifications established for correctional officers under s. 943.13.(3) Pursuant to the terms of the contract, a private vendor shall design, construct, and operate a contractor-operated correctional facility in accordance with the standards established by the American Correctional Association and approved by the department at the time of the contract. In addition, a contractor-operated correctional facility shall meet any higher standard mandated in the full or partial settlement of any litigation challenging the constitutional conditions of confinement to which the department is a named defendant. The standards required under a contract for operating a contractor-operated correctional facility may be higher than the standards required for accreditation by the American Correctional Association. A private vendor shall comply with all federal and state constitutional requirements, federal, state, and local laws, department rules, and all court orders.s. 17, ch. 89-526; s.12, ch. 2019-113.Amended by 2024 Fla. Laws, ch. 84,s 28, eff. 7/1/2024.Amended by 2019 Fla. Laws, ch. 113, s 12, eff. 7/1/2019.