Grady M. Pauley, who retired as Superintendent (Warden) of Tomoka C.I. in 1998, was there. He recalls:

"Prison overcrowding led to the use of tents and other suitable buildings such as plywood structures that were built and/or erected on the site that is currently New River C.I. - West Unit. This location was originally called Butler Transient Unit (BTU). The first shipment of inmates into the tents was on May 13, 1975 and RMC's inmate count on that date was 1,532. (Its design capacity was 700 inmates.) Three months later on August 12, BTU was opened and RMC's count that day was 1,728. When you add in the 282 inmates in the tents, RMC's total count was actually 2,010 inmates. (Almost three times its design capacity.)

The original tents were phased out in 1977 with the last inmates being transferred out on January 11, 1977; however, tents would once more become necessary about nine years later (on July 29, 1986).

During the period between 1977 and 1986, when tents were not being used, RMC was creating more inmate bed space by construction at BTU and the New River Annex , now known as New River C.I. East & West Units. Some new buildings were opened for inmate housing at BTU on June 15,1982 and the next month construction began on the New River Annex with the first shipment of inmates being transferred there on October 7, 1982.

Eventually, with the opening of new institutions throughout the state, and the final construction of New River C.I. East & West Units, the temporary inmate housing units, i.e., warehouses, plywood buildings, and the tents originally located on that site were able to be phased out, hopefully for all time."