{"id":133976,"date":"2026-01-27T21:07:07","date_gmt":"2026-01-27T21:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/133976\/"},"modified":"2026-01-27T21:07:07","modified_gmt":"2026-01-27T21:07:07","slug":"lawmakers-look-to-boost-campus-security-tallahassee-reports","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/133976\/","title":{"rendered":"Lawmakers Look to Boost Campus Security \u2013 Tallahassee Reports"},"content":{"rendered":"

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By Jim Saunders, The News Service of Florida <\/p>\n

\u00a0After a student last year killed two people and wounded five others at Florida State University, state lawmakers Tuesday began moving forward with a plan to try to bolster security on state college and university campuses.<\/p>\n

The plan, unanimously approved by the House Judiciary Committee, borrows from changes made in the public-school system after the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland\u2019s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. That includes allowing college and university employees to become armed \u201cschool guardians\u201d to help respond to incidents.<\/p>\n

Rep. Kevin Chambliss, D-Homestead, said the bill addresses preparedness and recounted how he knew a campus shooter while he was a graduate student at Northern Illinois University. Chambliss said such incidents are \u201call too common of a story.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt can happen anywhere, at anytime,\u201d Chambliss said.<\/p>\n

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Michelle Salzman, R-Pensacola, would take a series of steps, including:<\/p>\n

\u2014 Allowing colleges and universities to choose to take part in the guardian program, which involves employees who receive training and have concealed-weapons licenses being able to carry guns on campus.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Requiring colleges and universities to take steps such as having \u201cactive assailant response\u201d plans that include being able to issue campus-wide alerts and certifying that faculty, staff and students each year receive training to prepare for assailants. Also, the colleges and universities would have to adopt \u201cfamily reunification\u201d plans to reunite students and employees with family members if schools are closed or evacuated.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Requiring annual security risk assessments at colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Requiring establishment of \u201cthreat management teams\u201d that, in part, would help intervene with students whose behavior might pose risks.<\/p>\n

\u2014 Creating a second-degree felony charge for people who shoot guns within 1,000 feet of schools during school hours or activities, unless the guns are fired because of reasons such as self-defense. That would be an expansion of a law that prevents firing guns on school property.<\/p>\n

Calling campus security \u201cparamount,\u201d Salzman said lawmakers and staff members began working on the issue after FSU student Phoenix Ikner was charged in the April 17 shooting in Tallahassee that killed a campus dining director and a vendor. Ikner is awaiting trial.<\/p>\n

The Legislature over the past eight years made a series of changes to bolster security in public schools after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting, which killed 17 people. At least some of those changes are reflected in the bill about security at colleges and universities.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis was really borne out of a horrible tragedy in Parkland,\u201d Rep. Mike Gottlieb, D-Davie said.<\/p>\n

The bill would need to pass two more committees before it could go to the full House. Sen. Don Gaetz, R-Niceville, has filed a similar bill (SB 896) in the Senate.<\/p>\n

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