Florida Gov. Rick Scott's major action plan to keep students safe in Florida public schools includes a $500 million investment in school safety and mental health, a move that comes on the heels of a mass shooting at a high school where a gunman killed 17 and injured at least 17.
Scott unveiled his plan to Miami-Dade County officials Tuesday. He hopes to get the school safety bill passed before Florida's annual legislative session ends next Friday.
"Change is coming . . . and it will come fast," Scott said during a press conference Feb. 23.
"This is a time when I believe we must all come together, and even cross party lines. Of course, we won't all agree on every issue, but I do believe this is a moment when our state can come together around a common sense set of actions."
The investment includes:
- Mandatory resources officers in every public school.
- Mandatory active shooter training as outlined by the Department of Homeland Security.
- Increased funding in the safe schools allocation to address specific school safety needs within each district which includes hardening measures like bullet-proof glass, steel doors, upgraded locks, and metal detectors.
- The creation of a "see something, say something" hotline, website, and mobile app.
- Funding for students to have access to mental health counselors.
- Funding for each school to have a threat assessment team including a local law enforcement officer, a teacher, a DCF employee, a DJJ employee, and a human resource officer.
- Intervention training for all school personnel.
- Expansion of mental health service teams statewide.
- Hiring of 67 additional DCF employees in order to embed a DCF case manager in every sheriff's office.
- Grants for law enforcement and mental health coordination to allow sheriffs to establish special law enforcement teams.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.