Mail & Packages in Florida (FDC)

Mail to an incarcerated person in Florida is handled differently from many states. The Florida Department of Corrections (FDC) does not deliver original personal mail to the prison. Instead, routine personal correspondence is routed to an off-site Smart Communications processing center, where it is opened and scanned, and the incarcerated person receives it electronically on a tablet or kiosk; the mailroom may print copies, but the original paper is not delivered. Legal mail, publications, and packages follow separate paths and go to the institution.

How incoming personal mail works now

Under the policy in effect since 2022, FDC routes routine personal mail — letters, cards, and personal photos — through a contracted vendor, Smart Communications, rather than delivering it at the facility. Mail arrives at the vendor’s processing center, where it is opened and scanned into an electronic copy. The incarcerated person then reads the scanned mail on a tablet or kiosk. Facilities may print copies of scanned items, and photos are generally provided as copies; the original letters and photographs are not delivered to the incarcerated person.

Address each envelope with the incarcerated person’s full committed name and DC number (the identifier FDC assigns to each incarcerated person), and send it to the Smart Communications processing center:

[Incarcerated person’s name], [DC number] P.O. Box 23608 Tampa, FL 33623

The DC number can be found on the FDC Offender Search. Items such as cash, stamps, and materials that cannot be scanned are not accepted in routine mail, and money for the person’s account is sent through the FDC-approved process rather than enclosed in a letter — see Sending Money in Florida. Mail sent through Smart Communications can be tracked by creating a free account at MailGuardTracker.com. Confirm the current routine-mail address and the current prohibited-item list before sending.

Legal mail and privileged correspondence

Legal mail and other privileged correspondence are exempt from the off-site scanning process and are sent directly to the institution, not to Smart Communications. Privileged mail is handled under FDC’s rules for legal and privileged correspondence — it is generally opened and inspected for contraband in the presence of the incarcerated person and is not read. To be processed as privileged, the envelope must be properly identified as legal mail and show the sender’s information as required by FDC. Confirm the current privileged-mail procedure and the correct institutional address with the specific facility before sending.

Books and publications

Books, magazines, and newspapers must be ordered from an approved publisher or retailer and shipped directly to the institution; they cannot be sent in from home. Publications are subject to FDC review and to limits on how many an incarcerated person may possess. Confirm that the publication and the source are currently permitted, and that the item is shipped to the correct institutional address, before ordering.

Packages

Packages from family and friends are restricted. Permitted items generally must be ordered from an approved vendor and shipped to the institution, and what is allowed is limited by FDC rules and by the person’s facility and custody level. Confirm the current package rules, the approved-vendor process, and any item limits with the specific facility before sending anything.

Verify Before Acting

For the general, nationwide overview of this topic, see the national guide: Staying in Touch.