Animals at Florida State Prison - by Average Joe

In the old days at F.S.P. the place was infested with cockroaches. I mean thousands of them. They got into everything. If I set a cup of juice - or food down - leave it there for five minutes - roaches would be all inside it. I once removed the back of my radio - to clean it out - dust. There were hundreds of roaches inside it. Apparently they like the warmth and dark. And ate the wax inside. Soon as I opened it they scattered. I was stomping roaches for five minutes - and still half of them got away.

I´d be laying back watching T.V. and one would drop off the ceiling onto my chest. Turn the light on - they would be all over the walls and cell. I would get up - use my shower slides. Kill all I could. I killed thousands over the years - didn´t make a dent. I´m sure others did also. There were so many - you could smell them. And always seem to find a way into the food trays !

Those and rats ! Rats everywhere. Big bastards too. I called the big ones "T-Rats". Like the dinosaur - "T-Rex". When I first got to F.S.P. and summer came - I decided - since it was like 100° F in the cell - I´d put my mattress on the floor - it would be cooler. I did - it was cooler. Then I woke up late that night - with a rat sitting on my chest. I could see his red lil eyes in the hall light. Just sitting there - cool as could be. I stayed still till it climbed off me - scurried away. Got up, put my mattress back on my bunk. Never slept on the floor again.

Heard another guy pulled out his card board box one night - one jumped out - bit him on the cheek - had to put our food stuff in a bag. Hang in on a clothes line to keep them out of it. In a plastic bag to keep the roaches out. Anyway - with so many rats - there´s lot of rat turds about. Which also got into food at times ! So along with those surprise treats - and the occasional piece of metal or plastic. You always checked the food.