Form DC5-166 is the one-page form the Florida Department of Corrections uses to document and approve gifts of tangible personal property to a state correctional facility. You identify yourself, describe the items, and say when and how you plan to deliver them. The Warden or a designee at the receiving institution reviews the form and decides whether to accept the donation. The Florida Department of Corrections donation form DC5-166 covers physical goods only; if you want to give money, that goes through the Corrections Foundation instead.
What the Form Asks For
The form collects basic contact and delivery information, not financial disclosures or background checks. You will fill in:
- The specific facility receiving the donation
- Your full name as the donor
- A ministry or organization name, if you are giving on behalf of a group (individuals leave this blank)
- Your mailing address and a phone number where staff can reach you
- A short reason for the donation, such as supporting a chapel program or the library
- A description of each item; instruments, clothing, and similar items are listed separately, while books can be given as a total count rather than title by title
- The expected delivery date
- Whether you will mail the items or deliver them in person
- Your signature and the date
The bottom half of the page is for staff. That is where the Warden or designee marks the donation approved or disapproved, signs, and records when the items were delivered and accepted. Leave it alone.
How to Submit It
Pick the specific facility first. Every Florida correctional institution has its own address, and the form routes to that Warden’s office. If you are not sure the facility can use what you are offering, call its administrative office before you fill anything out. A donation aimed at a program that does not exist at that location will be turned down.
Be specific in the description field. “42 paperback novels” or “3 acoustic guitars” is more useful than “miscellaneous books.” Detailed descriptions let staff check items against security restrictions before you ship or drive anything over. If you plan to deliver in person, coordinate with the facility first. You cannot pull up to a prison gate with a load of goods and expect to be waved in; the facility will give you drop-off instructions once the donation is approved.
Mail or deliver the signed form to the Warden’s office at the intended facility. The form needs to arrive and be approved before the items themselves show up. Do not submit the form and ship the goods the same day.
What the Warden Can Reject
The Warden or Circuit Administrator has broad discretion. Under FDC Procedure 501.402, a donation can be turned down if staff believe the item poses a security or safety threat, would be misused or is not needed, would be too costly to operate or maintain, or raises ethical or legal concerns. Unusually frequent or targeted donations from the same donor may be referred to the Department’s Office of General Counsel before acceptance.
Items That Trigger Extra Review
Some categories need more than the Warden’s sign-off:
- Computer equipment of any kind cannot be accepted until the FDC Office of Information Technology performs a hands-on diagnostic review of the hardware.
- Vehicles and mobile equipment such as tractors or bulldozers require Department of Management Services approval and go through the Bureau of Institutional Support Services’ Fleet Management Section.
- Books, magazines, and pamphlets must comply with the content admissibility standards in Rule 33-501.401(3), and the Warden or designee must find the material appropriate for institutional programs, chaplaincy distribution, or probation and parole facilities.
Items You Cannot Donate at All
Florida Statute 944.47 makes it a criminal offense to introduce certain items into a state correctional institution outside authorized channels. These are automatic rejections, not gray areas:
- Firearms, weapons of any kind, and explosive substances
- Any controlled substance, marijuana, hemp, and any prescription or nonprescription drug with a stimulating, depressing, or hypnotic effect
- Any intoxicating beverage or beverage that may cause an intoxicating effect
- Cell phones, two-way pagers, handheld radios, personal digital assistants, laptops, and any components meant to assemble such devices
- Vapor-generating electronic devices such as e-cigarettes
Food, clothing, written communications, and currency directed to a specific inmate also count as contraband unless they move through regular authorized channels. An approved DC5-166 is one of those authorized channels for tangible property destined for a facility, but it is not a route for gifts to individual inmates or for money.
Money Donations Go Elsewhere
FDC institutions, offices, programs, staff, and inmates are prohibited from soliciting or accepting currency donations. The department directs monetary contributions to the Corrections Foundation, a direct-support organization established under Florida Statute 944.802. The Foundation is at 501 South Calhoun Street, Tallahassee, FL 32399-2500, phone (850) 717-3712. DC5-166 is not used for cash gifts.
After Approval
There is no published timeline for the Warden’s review. If you are working toward a delivery date, submit early and follow up with the facility’s administrative office. Once approved, staff will coordinate the physical transfer, giving you drop-off times and locations for in-person deliveries, or shipping instructions and an attention line for mailed items so packages are not flagged as unauthorized mail.
Higher-value donations trigger internal paperwork you do not have to complete yourself. Property valued at $1,000 or more with a projected useful life of at least one year is reported on Form DC2-338 by the Facility or Regional Property Custodian. Hardcover books worth $25 or more that circulate to the public or students, and non-circulating hardcover books worth $250 or more, fall under the same capitalization rules. That is why staff may ask you for a value estimate even though the donation form itself does not have a value field.
Once the facility takes possession, the items are the property of the Department of Corrections. You cannot reclaim them later.
Donor Privacy
Florida’s public records law, Section 119.01, opens state agency records to inspection unless a specific statutory exemption applies, and no general exemption covers the names or contact information of FDC donors. Your name, address, and phone number on DC5-166 could be released in response to a public records request. Donating through the Corrections Foundation may put some separation between you and a specific facility, but the Foundation is also subject to Florida’s public records requirements as a direct-support organization of a state agency. There is no fully anonymous route for a traceable donation to the Florida correctional system.
Tax Deduction Basics
Gifts to state government entities generally qualify as tax-deductible charitable contributions under federal tax law, even when the agency does not appear in the IRS database of exempt organizations. The IRS notes that governments may be qualified to receive deductible contributions without being formally listed. For property donations documented on DC5-166, the deduction is based on the fair market value of the items at the time of the gift.
For any contribution of $250 or more, you need a contemporaneous written acknowledgment from the receiving organization stating the amount or describing the property and indicating whether you received anything in return. The facility’s signed copy of the approved DC5-166 may serve this purpose; if you want a more formal receipt, ask the Warden’s office.
Noncash charitable contributions totaling more than $500 in a tax year require IRS Form 8283 with your return. Section A covers donations valued between $500 and $5,000. Section B, for property valued above $5,000, includes a qualified appraisal requirement, meaning an independent appraiser must evaluate the items before you claim the deduction.