TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A Florida Department of Corrections correctional officer passed away following a battle with COVID-19. Correctional Sergeant Robert Rogers died on Friday, July 31, 2020.
Sergeant Rogers is the first FDC correctional officer to pass away following a diagnosis of COVID-19 in Florida.
Rogers and his wife both contracted COVID-19 in July and were sent home to quarantine after a July 12 trip to the emergency room. Their health declined and they were both admitted to the hospital on July 18. The couple got sicker over the course of two weeks, according to the Tamp Bay Times.
They died within an hour of each other on July 30 at Southeast Health, a hospital near the Florida border in Dothan, Ala., close to where they lived.
He began his career as a correctional officer with FDC in 1991.
“No amount of preparedness can alleviate the feelings that come with the news of losing a colleague,” said Secretary Mark Inch, “Sergeant Rogers committed his life to selfless service to the state of Florida as a correction professional and we are deeply saddened by his passing. We are praying for Sergeant Roger’s family, friends, and fellow staff members during this very difficult time as we remember the impact he had on the lives of those around him.”
Rogers was assigned to the Graceville Work Camp in Graceville, Florida.
The prison system has had 8,551 inmates and 1,769 staff members infected with the virus as of Monday evening. Fifty-three inmates have died.
