As the legislature decides how it will respond to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, legislators are coming forward with their recommendations. State Representative Ross Spano (R-Dover), chair of the Criminal Justice subcommittee, announced his recommendations for preventing gun violence Friday, at Sheriff Grady Judd’s office in Winter Haven.
- Expansion of Sheriff Judd's Sentinel program on list
- Called for funding for hardening targets like schools
- Other suggestions mirrored those made by Gov. Scott
High on Spano's list of nine recommendations was expanding Sheriff Grady Judd’s Sentinel Program, a voluntary program for teachers, administrators, volunteers (active and retired military and law enforcement) and parents who are licensed to carry a concealed weapon, according to the proposal.
“They would only be permitted to participate with enhanced background checks," said Spano. "They would undergo emotional and psychological evaluations and complete very very comprehensive standardized training.”
Spano said it’s his vision that every school district in the state would implement the program in conjunction with their sheriff’s office.
He also recommended dedicating matching funds for school districts to spend on hardening school facilities, such as adding cameras, fencing, biometics, and bulletproof doors and windows. Like Governor Rick Scott, Spano would also like each school to have at least one armed school resource officer on every school campus.
Spano also advocated for criminalizing threats and mandating reporting by individuals with custodial responsibilities, including teachers, administrators, counselors, health care professionals, and day care providers. He’d like the mandated reporting to provide protection from liability and also to compel law enforcement to respond with action after receiving the report.
Similar to Governor Rick Scott’s proposal, he’s pushing for the creation of gun violence restraining orders, permitting law enforcement, a spouse, parent, sibling or roommate to petition the court for an order to temporarily remove a troubled person’s gun rights. The petitioner would have to provide evidence the troubled person was a significant danger to themselves or others.
According to his proposal, the order would be appealable, and there would be penalties for false reporting.
In addition, Spano pushed for standardized security and risk assessment procedures for school districts, as well as standardized curriculum for the Sentinel Program and active shooter training.
Spano has already introduced the Church Protection Act, which allows gun owners licensed to carry conceal firearms to do so during church services if the church permits. If passed, the legislation would apply to churches that have schools on their campuses.
Sheriff Grady Judd said he expects Spano’s plan will be mixed in with the others. He said he’s been working with legislators for more than 30 years on this problem and expressed confidence that this time around some change will occur.
“I have never seen the agreement early on in legislation that I’ve seen with this," Judd said. "Everyone, the Democrats, the Republicans, the Independents, are all together in saying we’ve got to do something…They’re going to come out with legislation that not everyone is going to agree with 100 percent, but what we will agree is that our children will be safer as a result."
Spano said he’ll be meeting with House and Senate leadership to insure his provisions are included in the comprehensive House bill that's expected to be presented next week. He said he wouldn’t be surprised if the legislative session is extended or if there’s a special session.