The sheriff of Flagler County, Florida, wants criminals to know that there is always a vacancy available in the local jail, jokingly dubbed the Green Roof Inn.
For more than a year, Sheriff Rick Staly has been using the tongue-in-cheek nickname to refer to the Flagler County Detention Center, and on Thursday he made it more official by unveiling three new signs outside the lockup.
The piece de resistance of the new display consists of an elaborate retro neon motel sign, complete with a blinking ‘VACANCY’ notice lit up in red.
According to a press release from the sheriff’s office, the signage was purchased with assets from drug busts.
There IS room in the inn: Flagler County Sheriff Rick Staly on Thursday unveiled this new neon sign at the Flagler County Detention Center nicknamed the ‘Green Roof Inn’ announcing that there is a vacancy
‘The light is always on’: Another sign located at the jail exit for inmates who are ‘checking out’ reminds recent ‘guests’ that beds at the ‘inn’ are always available
Below the neon sign is a list of accommodations that ‘guests’ who are ‘checking in’ to the Green Roof Inn can look forward to, including no privacy; group bathrooms & showers; no meal selection; free transportation to courthouse or state prison; designer jewelry to wear – AKA handcuffs and leg irons; free designer clothing – color coordinated jumpsuit & shoes.’
‘We have a one-star rating and we’re working to lower that as I’m speaking,’ Staly says in a Facebook video promoting his ‘establishment.’
Another sign is located at the jail exit for inmates who are ‘checking out’ to remind them that if they ‘must commit another crime’, the Green Roof Inn ‘always has a light on’ and that ‘beds are always available.’
‘The purpose of the signs is crime prevention,’ Staly said. ‘It is a warning to potential offenders that the jail is not a five-star hotel. When you are arrested, we provide the minimum accommodations as required by law.’
Staly added that once an offender ‘checks-in,’ they lose their basic freedoms.
‘Hopefully, when people see the signs and the list of accommodations offered they will think twice about committing a crime in Flagler County,’ the sheriff said.
As of Friday morning, there were 219 detainees in the recently renovated and expanded county jail complex, which can accommodate more than 400.
Putting drug money to good use: The new signs were purchased with assets from drug busts
The recently renovated and expanded county jail complex in Bunnell, Florida, can accommodate more than 400 inmates