LAND O’ LAKES, Fla. — Pasco County is looking to hire staffers for a new jail that is expected to open later this year. Officials say the department is in need of corrections officers, but the job duties go well beyond that.

What You Need To Know

  • Pasco County Corrections is looking to hire 50 certified correctional officers this year with the opening of a new jail

  • The position offers a number of incentives, like sponsoring officers in the academy to go to school full time, and different paths toward other specialties

  • Construction of the department's new jail has already started, and the facility is expected to open later this year

At Pasco County Corrections, Corrections Officer Nicole Kleber introduced herself to a few potential new recruits as the department held its first-ever career fair earlier this month.

“Our main idea for this career fair is to fill the corrections officer spots here,” said Kleber. “We’re going to need a lot of officers to fill our new facility, so that’s what this is based on.”

Kleber first joined the division 16 years ago by taking her first steps toward becoming a corrections officer — a job she says offers quite a few different paths toward other specialties.

“I don’t think people realize how many specialty areas that we have in the jail and that we’re offering," she said. "Especially with incentives if you get certified.”

Those incentives include sponsoring officers in the academy to go to school full time.

“There’s room and opportunity to grow,” Kleber said. “I can say that because I started out as a civilian.”

Kleber said her initial interest was sparked thanks to a family member who worked in the department, which paved the way for her current position in inmate processing.

“I didn’t have any expectations to stay here,” she said. “I actually wanted to go to school to be a firefighter. But when I started working here as a civilian, I realized these people are regular inmates, they make mistakes, and they’re just regular people.”

And Kleber said it’s a job that doesn’t discriminate based on an applicant's age.

“Age is just a number. It doesn’t matter — it’s all how you carry yourself," she said. "You run the same unit the same way, it does not matter how old you are.”

She said it's also a job that, in time, can lead to bigger and better opportunities, and a future for those hoping to be hired.

“We want you to advance. We want you to be a superstar," Kleber said. "Our hopes are if we invest in you, you’re going to grow with us and stay with us.”