summary
Introduced
12/12/2025
12/12/2025
In Committee
12/16/2025
12/16/2025
Crossed Over
Passed
Dead
Introduced Session
2026 Regular Session
Bill Summary
An act relating to school safety; amending s. 30.15, F.S.; requiring sheriffs to assist public postsecondary educational institutions in implementing guardian programs under certain provisions; authorizing public postsecondary educational institutions to participate in the school guardian program; requiring public postsecondary educational institutions to provide a specified notice to the sheriff; amending s. 790.115, F.S.; creating the offense of discharging a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school; providing an exception; providing that a person arrested for certain offenses must be held in custody until brought before the court for admittance to bail; amending s. 921.0022, F.S.; ranking an offense created by the act on the offense severity ranking chart of the Criminal Punishment Code; amending s. 943.082, F.S.; requiring that postsecondary institutions be made aware of the mobile suspicious activity reporting tool in a specified manner; requiring public postsecondary educational institutions to promote the use of such tool; amending s. 1003.25, F.S.; requiring specified educational records for certain students to be transferred to a Florida College System institution or state university under certain circumstances; requiring the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors to adopt rules and regulations, respectively; amending s. 1006.07, F.S.; requiring certain trainings to include specified information relating to school safety; creating s. 1006.601, F.S.; defining the term “public postsecondary educational institution”; authorizing such institutions to participate in certain programs; authorizing such institutions to appoint certified school guardians; authorizing specified persons to serve as school guardians; requiring such institutions to adopt specified emergency response plans; requiring such institutions to provide specified training, post specified information, and adopt threat management processes; requiring public postsecondary educational institutions to collaborate with certain public safety agencies, and authorizing such institutions to collaborate with private sector security consulting firms, to annually conduct a security risk assessment using a specified assessment tool; authorizing public postsecondary educational institutions to contract with a private sector security consulting firm for a specified purpose; authorizing a public postsecondary educational institution to apply for grant funds for security improvements, subject to appropriation; authorizing the State Board of Education and the Board of Governors to adopt rules and regulations, respectively; reenacting s. 1006.12, F.S., relating to safe-school officers at each public school, to incorporate the amendments made by the act; reenacting ss. 402.305(19)(a), 843.08, 943.03(16), and 1001.212(1), (4), and (10), F.S., relating to licensing standards and child care facilities, false personation, Department of Law Enforcement, and Office of Safe Schools, respectively, to incorporate the amendments made by the act; providing effective dates.
AI Summary
This bill enhances school safety by allowing public postsecondary educational institutions, such as colleges and universities, to participate in the "school guardian" program, which authorizes trained and certified individuals to serve as armed guardians on campus, similar to how this program currently operates in K-12 schools. It also establishes a new offense for discharging a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school, with specific exceptions, and mandates that individuals arrested for this offense be held in custody until they can appear before a court for bail. The bill requires these institutions to adopt emergency response plans, provide specific safety training, and implement threat management processes, including the use of a mobile suspicious activity reporting tool. Furthermore, it mandates annual security risk assessments for these institutions, allows them to contract with private security firms for security assessments, and makes them eligible for grant funds for security improvements. Educational records for certain students, including threat assessment reports, will be transferred to Florida College System institutions or state universities when those students enroll. Finally, the bill requires that certain safety trainings for instructional staff explain the purpose and proper execution of safety protocols and emergency procedures.
Committee Categories
Budget and Finance
Sponsors (1)
Other Sponsors (2)
Appropriations (Senate), Criminal Justice (Senate)
Last Action
CS/CS by Appropriations read 1st time (on 02/25/2026)
Official Document
bill text
bill summary
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bill summary
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bill summary
| Document Type | Source Location |
|---|---|
| State Bill Page | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896 |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/BillText/c2/HTML |
| Analysis - Appropriations (Post-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/Analyses/2026s00896.ap.PDF |
| Analysis - Appropriations (Pre-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/Analyses/2026s00896.pre.ap.PDF |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/BillText/c1/HTML |
| Analysis - Criminal Justice (Post-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/Analyses/2026s00896.cj.PDF |
| Favorable | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/Amendment/242182/HTML |
| https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/Amendment/580518/HTML | |
| Analysis - Criminal Justice (Pre-Meeting) | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/Analyses/2026s00896.pre.cj.PDF |
| BillText | https://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2026/896/BillText/Filed/HTML |
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