TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – A 94-year-old Holocaust survivor who was the only one in his family to escape from a Nazi concentration camp led Florida lawmakers in prayer as a special legislative session got underway Monday morning.
“Not a day goes by without me reliving the horrors of my childhood,” said David Schachter, who now lives in Miami. “I am here to make sure that there is meaning to this phrase called ‘Never Again.’”
Schachter later spoke at a Senate fiscal policy committee hearing on a bill to provide security funding to Jewish schools and other nonprofits.
“Our goal is to make Florida the safest place to openly practice your religion,” said State Sen. Alexis Calatayud, a Republican from Miami who sponsored the Senate version of bill.
Under the proposal, $10 million would be appropriated to a grant program for security improvement at nonprofits that are at a high risk for violent attacks or hate crimes. The grants, which are currently available to houses of worship and community centers, could be expanded to museums and schools.
The proposed bill would also set aside $25 million that could be used at Jewish preschools and day schools for hiring security guards and installing security infrastructure such as surveillance cameras and shatterproof windows.
“There’s no question everyone has the right to be safe,” said State Rep. Randy Fine, a Brevard County Republican who sponsored the House version of the bill. “This money is intended to help protect Jewish day schools, synagogues, Jewish community centers, the places that are under threat from these pro-Hamas animals that are unfortunately in our midst.”
Democrats introduced a bill Monday that would appropriate $30 million for increased security at historically Black colleges and universities in Florida.
The Florida House and Senate have each proposed resolutions expressing the State of Florida’s support of Israel and condemning attacks by Hamas.
Another bill would expand the list of “scrutinized companies” tied to Iran that are prohibited from doing business with the state.
Earlier this year, Florida lawmakers expanded the availability of so-called vouchers to help families afford private school education by eliminating income requirements for state scholarships.
However, current state law limits the number of state-funded Family Empowerment Scholarships intended for students with special needs to about 41,000.
A new bill would eliminate the cap on those particular scholarships and allow the Florida Department of Education to decide how many to issue based on available funding.
Under a disaster relief bill, Floridians primarily located in the Big Bend area of the state impacted by Hurricane Idalia in September could receive various forms of assistance.
That same bill would also provide an additional $176 million in funding for the state’s “My Safe Florida Home” program that awards grants to homeowners for wind mitigation improvements.
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