Sen. Book requests state police investigation into Epstein’s work release.

State Sen. Lauren Book is formally requesting that Gov. Ron DeSantis order an investigation into how the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office handled wealthy financier Jeffrey Epstein’s work release about a decade ago.

The Plantation Democrat sent a letter Monday asking the governor to direct the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to open a probe.

The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office is facing accusations that Epstein, a convicted sex offender, was able to have “improper sexual contact” with young women when he was on work release from the county stockade.

“If Epstein was able to abuse young girls while under supervised work release, we need to understand very clearly when and how these egregious lapses and abuses occurred so they cannot be repeated,” Book wrote in the letter.

Palm Beach County Sheriff Ric Bradshaw, who led the agency when Epstein was in jail, ordered an internal investigation Friday, but he hasn’t joined in calling for an outside review.

“Sheriff Ric Bradshaw shares Senator Book’s concerns. That is why he has ordered an internal investigation to determine if in fact the system failed 11 years ago and hold those accountable for any failures and ensure that it won’t happen again,” Teri Barbera, a sheriff ’s spokeswoman, said in a prepared statement.

Bradshaw was first elected as sheriff in 2004.

Helen Ferre, a spokeswoman for the governor, did not respond to a request for comment Tuesday morning. Last week, she said the governor would review any complaints or allegations conveyed to him in the matter.

Public records released by the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office raise red flags about the level of supervision Epstein received when he was in the county stockade for 13 months during 2008-09.

About three-and-a-half months into his sentence, he was allowed to spend up to 12 hours a day, six days a week working out of a downtown office while on work release.

Although he was supposed to work only in his office, Epstein, 66, visited his home at least nine times during his work release, according to deputy logs. During one visit, a deputy stood outside his home for more than two hours while Epstein was inside unsupervised.

Deputies wrote they provided “low profile security.” One deputy wrote Epstein was “very happy with the service” he was being provided.

In one report, Epstein ate lunch in a park near his office. In others, he visited other offices besides his assigned workplace on Australian Avenue. He also was left alone to adjust his GPS monitor while a deputy waited outside his office building, according to the documents.

Logs detailing Epstein’s visitors were destroyed as part of a routine purge allowed by Florida law, sheriff ’s officials say.

Epstein pleaded guilty to two state prostitution charges as part of a once-secret deal with prosecutors that ended a federal sex abuse investigation involving at least 40 teenage girls.

He is now facing new federal charges in New York.

In a news conference last week, attorney Bradley Edwards, who is representing more than a dozen Epstein accusers, said Epstein was able to continue to have “improper sexual contact” with women while in the work-release program. He said he was not aware of any of the visitors being minors.

Epstein’s attorneys did not respond to an email Tuesday seeking comment about Edwards’ allegations.