PRIDE Press Releases

PRIDE Enterprises was incorporated December 14, 1981 as a 501(c)(3), a state-sponsored, non-profit corporation.  PRIDE is an internationally recognized prisoner training company, focusing on general industrial manufacturing and services. It is tax exempt because of its state-mandated, public purposes. PRIDE Enterprises has experience and expertise in working in a secure prison environment providing on-the-job training, job placement, and support for ex-offenders to help them successfully transition back into society after a period of incarceration. Over 3,000 products and services are provided by the six strategic business units consisting of Agriculture, Furniture, Graphics, Sanitary Maintenance & Supply, Services, and Sewn Products.

PRIDE, as governed by the Florida Statutes, provides numerous vital state functions.  For those reasons, PRIDE enjoys some privileges and immunities that are traditionally given to state government agencies and to other instrumentalities of the state. PRIDE operates 36 diverse industries in 20 correctional institutions throughout Florida. It has received much national and international attention as a model for public/private partnerships, especially regarding the privatization of government functions. Headquartered in St. Petersburg, Florida, PRIDE consists of over 200 employees and 2000 inmate workers and its products and services yielded annual sales of over $65 million in 2004.

While PRIDE is technically a non-profit business, the corporation still has to operate profitably. Because state funds are no longer appropriated by the state to operate the industries, PRIDE must pay for the training of the inmate workers by selling the products that are manufactured or grown using inmate labor.  The prison industry program has been self-sufficient since the transfer of the industries in 1981. PRIDE receives no funds, grants or appropriations from the State of Florida.