ORLANDO, Fla. -- The city of Orlando -- which didn't make the list of cities granted federal anti-terror funding after the Pulse massacre -- will be awarded $1.5 million from the Department of Homeland Security.
- Orlando to get $1.5 million federal anti-terror grant
- Money to fund first-responders, training, buying equipment
- Award comes almost 2 years after Pulse nightclub shooting
It's the first time since 2014 that Orlando will receive funding from the department's Urban Area Security Initiative.
The award comes almost two years after 49 people were killed at Pulse nightclub by a gunman who pledged allegiance to the Islamic State terror group.
In 2016, Orlando Police Chief John Mina, along with Orange County Sheriff Jerry Demings, traveled to Washington, D.C. to ask for the funding because they hadn't qualified for it since 2014 -- even though Orlando was the site of the terrorist attack at Pulse.
Mina said Monday that Homeland Security finally is considering tourism numbers as a reason to fund areas like Orlando's. He said that because millions of people visit Central Florida every day, Orlando continues to be a soft target for terrorists.
Rep. Val Demings, a former Orlando police chief who's married to Jerry Demings, said in a statement that she's "... working hard on the House Homeland Security Committee to make sure that Orlando has every tool it needs to prevent future attacks."
Val Demings worked with Reps. Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto to lobby DHS to re-evaluate its funding criteria.
Groups and agencies in 32 U.S. cities will get UASI funding this year. The grants are to pay for upgraded security in public places, buy equipment, and fund training and first responders.
Mina said a committee will be put together to decide exactly where the $1.5 million will be allocated, since it will be split between agencies throughout the Central Florida area.