460 inmates moved from Florida Keys jail ahead of Hurricane Irma

Sheriff decides to move inmates from Stock Island to Palm Beach County facility

KEY WEST, Fla. – Hundreds of inmates were moved from a Florida Keys jail early Saturday amid concerns about Hurricane Irma.

Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay said 460 inmates were moved from the main jail on Stock Island to a facility in Palm Beach County.

"Moving this many inmates this quickly is a tough job," Ramsay said. "Our staff was up to the challenge. They quickly formulated plans to make the move safely, were able to procure buses for the transport and got on the road without incident."

The inmates were transferred to a Palm Beach County facility.

Although the jail is a Category 5-rated building, Ramsay felt it was better to be safe than sorry because of the changing path of Irma, which was forecast to make landfall somewhere in the lower Keys.

The move took place before dawn Saturday. Most of the corrections deputies traveled with the inmates to assist the hosting facility in Palm Beach County with the additional workload.