INSTITUTIONAL SECURITY SPECIALIST I - 67071900 APD/ DDDP CHATTAHOOCHEE, FL

Requisition No: 866603 

Agency: Agency for Persons with Disabilities

Working Title: INSTITUTIONAL SECURITY SPECIALIST I - 67071900 APD/ DDDP CHATTAHOOCHEE, FL

 Pay Plan: Career Service

Position Number: 67071900 

Salary:  $1,680.00 BIWEEKLY, $43,680.00 ANNUALLY 

Posting Closing Date: 12/23/2025 

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AGENCY FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES

 POSITION: Institutional Security Specialist I - Career Service

POSITION NUMBER: 67071900

OPEN COMPETITIVE OPPORTUNITY

SALARY: $1,680.00 BIWEEKLY, $43,680.00 ANNUALLY

CANDIDATE POOL: Future vacancies may be filled from this advertisement for a period of up to six months.

The Benefits of Working for the State of Florida

Working for the State of Florida is more than a paycheck. The State’s total compensation package for eligible employees features a highly competitive set of employee benefits, including:

• Annual and Sick Leave benefits.
• Nine paid holidays and one Personal Holiday each year.
• State Group Insurance coverage options, including health, life, dental, vision, and other supplemental insurance options.
• Retirement plan options, including employer contributions (For more information, please click www.myfrs.com).
• Flexible Spending Accounts.
• Tuition waivers.
• And more! For a more complete list of benefits, visit www.mybenefits.myflorida.com.
• Paid Maternity and Parental Leave.

• https://compcalculator.myflorida.com/

The Agency seeks team members who demonstrate the qualities of being humble, hungry, and smart and lead others to embody the same. This entails lacking excessive ego, sharing credit, being self-motivated, and exercising good judgment and intuition regarding the subtleties of group dynamics. 

This position with APD will serve staff and management across the Agency. Your work will impact on the workplace culture, our community, and the population we serve as we continuously strive to achieve the Agency’s mission.

*Responses to the qualifying questions are required and must be verifiable based on your submitted application.

Program Overview

The Developmental Disabilities Defendant Program operates on the campus of Florida State Hospital in Chattahoochee and at Sunland in Marianna under the auspices of the State of Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD). The Developmental Disabilities Defendant Program (DDDP) is dedicated to empowering people with developmental disabilities charged with a felony crime to:

1.         Acquire the skills and support that will prepare them for success in their future environments.

2.         Acquire the skills needed to become competent to stand trial.

Position Summary

Officers will provide and ensure the safety and security of the residents and staff by monitoring the ingress and egress of people, vehicles, and objects within the secure area which may include pat-down searches and observation of Forensic residents outside and inside the Forensic facilities to deter inappropriate actions by routinely making mobile patrols of the institutional campus and surrounding areas, as well as walking patrols throughout the buildings and grounds of the campus.

The Work You Will Do 

DDDP is a forensic facility working with individuals with disabilities in a secure setting.  These individuals have been adjudicated by the courts as incompetent to proceed to trial and have significant behavioral and psychiatric issues.  DDDP provides rehabilitative, vocational, and daily living skills training to the individuals served in which allows for a smooth transition back into a non-secure residential or community setting.

Knowledge, Skills, And Abilities

•           Ability to deal effectively with individuals.

•           Ability to recognize dangerous or potentially dangerous situations.

•           Ability to investigate suspicious or unusual events.

•           Ability to work without close supervision and to make independent decisions.

•           Ability to respond calmly in an emergency situation and to determine the proper course of action.

•           Ability to make accurate observations.

•           Ability to follow instructions.

•           Ability to communicate effectively.

•           Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with others.

Minimum Qualifications

•           In accordance with Florida Statute 943, any person employed in this class must:

•           (1) Be at least 18 years of age.

•           (2) Be a citizen of the United States, notwithstanding any laws of the State to the contrary.

•           (3) Be a high school graduate or its "equivalent" as the term may be determined by the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Commission.

•           (4) Not have been convicted of any felony or of a misdemeanor involving perjury or a false statement, nor have received a dishonorable or undesirable discharge from any of the Armed Forces of the United States.  Any person who, after July 1, 1981, pleads guilty or nolo contendere or is guilty of a felony or of a misdemeanor involving perjury or a false statement shall not be eligible for employment or appointment as an officer, notwithstanding suspension of sentence or withholding of adjudication.

•           (5) Have his/her processed fingerprints on file with the employing agency.

•           (6) Have passed a physical examination by a licensed physician based on specifications established by the Commission.

•           (7) Have a good moral character as determined by a background investigation under procedures established by the Commission.

•           (8) Have completed a 320-hour basic recruit training course or its equivalent as established by the Commission.

Other job-related requirements for this position:

• • Certified in the agency approved Crisis Prevention and Intervention Program, FDLE/ CJSTC techniques.
  • Submit to pre-employment TB screening and on an annual, ongoing basis as prescribed by DDDP.
  • Based on the duties and essential functions of this position, incumbents will be required to perform duties that involve direct contact with residents in a secure forensic facility.
  • This position requires lifting, pulling, and squatting.
  • Possess and maintain a valid drivers license.

Additional Information

We are dedicated to empowering people with developmental disabilities charged with a felony crime to acquire the skills needed to become competent to stand trial, and to acquire the skills and support that will prepare them for success in their future environments.

WORK SCHEDULE

This position is located at a 24-hour facility.  Staff members must be agreeable to working a shift schedule; regular, evening, or night. Days Off: Varies.  

Employees may be required to work additional days/hours based on the needs of the facility and center.  This includes, but is not limited to, ensuring facility coverage, activities, holidays, and emergency situations.  

Recruiting Contact:      

Jodi NeSmith      

Recruitment Manager- Developmental Disabilities Defendant Program & Pathways  

Agency for Persons with Disabilities      

Telephone: (850) 793-7075

Email: jodi.nesmith@apdcares.org

Profile Completion

Applicants must complete all fields in the Candidate Profile, including their work history within the month and year, to qualify for this position. 

Responses to Qualifying Questions must be verifiable in the Candidate Profile, and “see resume” will not be considered an acceptable response.

Resumes and other documentation can be attached to provide additional information, but this will not replace the required completed Candidate Profile.

Retiree Notice

If you are a retiree of the Florida Retirement System (FRS), please check with the FRS on how your current benefits will be affected if you are re-employed with the State of Florida. Your current retirement benefits may be suspended or voided, and you will be required to repay all benefits received depending upon the date of your retirement.

Direct Deposit Program

As a condition of employment, a person appointed to a position in the State Personnel System is required to participate in the Direct Deposit Program.  Rather than receiving a paper paycheck, your funds will be deposited directly into your account at your financial institution. This will be accomplished by Electronic Funds Transfer. Banks, savings and loan associations, and credit unions are eligible to accept such deposits. Retirement funds are also required to be in the Direct Deposit Program.

Background Screening Requirement

It is the policy of the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities that applicants for employment undergo Level 2 employment screening in accordance with the requirements of Chapter 435, Florida Statutes, as a condition of employment or being permitted to serve as a volunteer.

No applicant for a designated position will be employed or permitted to volunteer until the Level 2 screening results are received, reviewed, and approved by the Agency.
Level 2 background screening shall include, but not be limited to, fingerprinting for Statewide criminal and juvenile records checks through the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and Federal criminal records checks through the Federal Bureau of Investigation and may include local criminal records checks through local law enforcement agencies.

Pursuant to S. 110.1127(1), Florida Statutes, this position requires a background investigation, including fingerprinting.

APD only hires U.S. citizens, and those lawfully authorized to work in the U.S. APD participates in the U.S. government’s employment eligibility verification program (E-verify). E-verify is a program that electronically confirms an employee’s eligibility to work in the U.S. after completing the employment eligibility verification form (I-9).

All applicants should complete the online application process.  If assistance is needed to apply for this position, please call the people first service center at 1-877-562-7287. 

Responses to the qualifying questions are required to be considered for this position. Answers to the qualifying questions must be verifiable based on your submitted application.

The State of Florida is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Affirmative Action Employer, and does not tolerate discrimination or violence in the workplace.

Candidates requiring a reasonable accommodation, as defined by the Americans with Disabilities Act, must notify the agency hiring authority and/or People First Service Center (1-866-663-4735). Notification to the hiring authority must be made in advance to allow sufficient time to provide the accommodation.

The State of Florida supports a Drug-Free workplace. All employees are subject to reasonable suspicion drug testing in accordance with Section 112.0455, F.S., Drug-Free Workplace Act.

VETERANS’ PREFERENCE.  Pursuant to Chapter 295, Florida Statutes, candidates eligible for Veterans’ Preference will receive preference in employment for Career Service vacancies and are encouraged to apply.  Certain service members may be eligible to receive waivers for postsecondary educational requirements.  Candidates claiming Veterans’ Preference must attach supporting documentation with each submission that includes character of service (for example, DD Form 214 Member Copy #4) along with any other documentation as required by Rule 55A-7, Florida Administrative Code.  Veterans’ Preference documentation requirements are available by clicking here.  All documentation is due by the close of the vacancy announcement.