FL DOC - Gulf Correctional Institution — Inmate Records & Recent Arrests

Gulf Correctional Institution: Inmate Search, Visiting & Mail

This page holds the inmate records we have on file for Gulf Correctional Institution (GULCI), a Florida state prison for men in Wewahitchka, in Gulf County along the state's Panhandle. Opened in 1992, Gulf CI holds roughly 1,411 people across minimum, medium, and close custody levels, and it has an adjacent annex that expands its capacity. Its rural, far-northwest location shapes the experience for families, many of whom drive a long way from other parts of Florida to visit. The records below are a historical directory of custody entries we hold for the facility — a way to identify the right person and take the next step — rather than a live count of who is inside today, so treat any entry as a lead and confirm it against the state's official tools. For more on this facility — history, programs, and what to expect — see our full facility profile.

How to find someone at Gulf CI

Florida runs a free public Offender Search through the Department of Corrections, where you look someone up by name or by their six-digit DC number and see their current facility, custody level, and release date. The DC number stays with a person for their whole time in state custody and is required on mail, deposits, and visiting paperwork, so it is the first thing to write down once you find it. On this page you can also browse the records we hold by last name (A–Z), gender, or age to narrow a common name, and then confirm the current facility through the official search. Because people are transferred between Florida institutions and between Gulf CI and its annex as their custody level or program needs change, a record here can lag behind a recent move, so verify before you plan a visit or send anything. If a recently sentenced person does not appear yet, they may still be moving through a reception center, and checking again in a few days usually resolves it.

Weekend visiting at Gulf CI

Visitation at Gulf CI is held on Saturdays and Sundays from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The facility opens its parking lot for visitors around 7:30 a.m., visitor registration begins at 8:15 a.m., and registration closes at 2:00 p.m., so anyone arriving after 2:00 p.m. will not be admitted that day. Getting on the list follows the standard Florida process, which is worth restating plainly: talk to your loved one first so they know you want to visit, they contact their case worker, the facility sends you a visitor application, and you complete and return it to Gulf CI. Any visitor who is 17 or younger must be accompanied by an approved adult already on the inmate's list. Bring valid photo identification, follow the dress code, and confirm the current schedule before making the long drive.

Programs and rehabilitation

Gulf CI offers a range of programs meant to support rehabilitation and eventual reentry, including basic adult education, GED preparation, and literacy help for people who need support with reading and writing, along with vocational training, substance-abuse treatment, and mental-health services. If your loved one is enrolled in one of these tracks, their daily routine may be organized around classes and group sessions, and their steady participation can matter both for their time inside and for their prospects on release. Encouragement from home genuinely helps sustain that effort, so it is worth asking about their program and acknowledging their progress in your letters and calls.

Sending money for commissary

Money is sent through JPay. Money orders are made payable to JPay and mailed with a deposit slip to JPay, P.O. Box 260010, Hollywood, FL 33026, and a small state processing fee applies. Since 2022 you generally must be on the person's approved visitor list to send funds, so the visiting application and the ability to send money are linked. Always include the correct DC number, and allow a few business days for a mailed deposit to post before it can be spent. Funds on a person's account cover commissary purchases such as hygiene items, snacks, stamps, and phone or tablet time, and for many families this practical, recurring support is the most useful thing they can provide between visits. Keeping a small, steady balance is often more helpful than an occasional large deposit, because it lets your person cover essentials as they come up.

Writing to an inmate at Gulf CI

Incarcerated people in Florida can receive letters sent through the U.S. mail, and every piece is opened and inspected for contraband before it is delivered. Address your letter with the person's committed name and DC number, include a clear return address, and keep enclosures simple — no stickers, glitter, or anything with adhesive, all of which are common reasons a letter is rejected. For someone held in a remote facility far from home, regular mail is frequently the most dependable thread of connection, so a consistent rhythm of letters means a great deal. Our letter service handles formatting and postage so your mail meets the facility's rules and reaches the right person the first time.

Phone calls and tablet messaging

Phone contact is a lifeline when distance makes in-person visits rare. Calls are placed by the incarcerated person out to numbers on their approved list, so the practical task on your end is to set up and fund an account with the facility's phone provider before the first call, and to make sure your number is approved. Florida also uses JPay tablets for monitored electronic messaging, which is often faster than paper mail for short notes and photos. For families who talk frequently, lower-cost calling arrangements can meaningfully reduce the expense of staying in touch over a long sentence, and pairing regular calls with steady mail keeps the connection strong between the occasional visit.

What the records here mean

The entries on this page are compiled from public data and reflect booking and custody records at a point in time, not a live feed from inside the prison. A record can lag behind a transfer between the institution and its annex, a move to another facility, or a release, and individual fields may be incomplete — a middle name dropped or an age tied to the booking date. None of that reflects anything about the person; it reflects the limits of the public source. Use an entry as a strong lead, then confirm the current facility and status through Florida's Offender Search before you act.

Next steps

Confirm your loved one's DC number and current facility through the state search, then use this page to keep track and take the next step. Start the DC6-111A visiting process early so you are approved by the time you can travel, send funds through JPay so basics are covered, and mail a first letter to open a steady line of contact. Everyone listed here is presumed innocent or is serving a sentence after conviction; a listing here is not a judgment. You can reach Gulf CI at (850) 639-1000 to confirm details, and always verify anything time-sensitive before you make the drive.

Sources: www.fdc.myflorida.com/institutions/institutio..., en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gulf_Correctional_Institution