Florida Statutes Title XLVII. Criminal Procedure and Corrections § 921.00241. Prison diversion program

(1) Notwithstanding s. 921.0024 and effective for offenses committed on or after July 1, 2009, a court may divert from the state correctional system an offender who would otherwise be sentenced to a state facility by sentencing the offender to a nonstate prison sanction as provided in subsection (2). An offender may be sentenced to a nonstate prison sanction if the offender meets all of the following criteria:

(2) If the court elects to impose a sentence as provided in this section, the court shall sentence the offender to a term of probation, community control, or community supervision with mandatory participation in a prison diversion program of the Department of Corrections if such program is funded and exists in the judicial circuit in which the offender is sentenced. The prison diversion program shall be designed to meet the unique needs of each judicial circuit and of the offender population of that circuit. The program may require residential, nonresidential, or day-reporting requirements; substance abuse treatment; employment; restitution; academic or vocational opportunities; or community service work.

(3) The court that sentences a defendant to a nonstate prison sanction pursuant to subsection (2) shall make written findings that the defendant meets the criteria in subsection (1); and the sentencing order must indicate that the offender was sentenced to the prison diversion program pursuant to subsection (2). The court may order the offender to pay all or a portion of the costs related to the prison diversion program if the court determines that the offender has the ability to pay.