WEATHER ALERT
Demolition of the Parkland classroom building where 17 died in 2018 shooting begins
Read full article: Demolition of the Parkland classroom building where 17 died in 2018 shooting beginsA large excavator stretched up and punched out a window on the top floor of a three-story classroom building where 17 people died in the 2018 mass shooting at Parkland, Florida’s, Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as a long-awaited demolition got underway.
Six years after the Parkland school massacre, the bloodstained building will finally be demolished
Read full article: Six years after the Parkland school massacre, the bloodstained building will finally be demolishedThe demolition of the building where 17 people died in the 2018 Parkland school shooting is set to begin.
'Frozen in time.' Kamala Harris tours bloodstained building where 2018 Parkland massacre happened
Read full article: 'Frozen in time.' Kamala Harris tours bloodstained building where 2018 Parkland massacre happenedVice President Kamala Harris toured the bloodstained classroom building where the 2018 Parkland high school massacre happened.
Florida families using AI to re-create voices of school gun violence victims to call lawmakers
Read full article: Florida families using AI to re-create voices of school gun violence victims to call lawmakersThe family of a teen murdered at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School is launching a campaign where re-created voices of gun violence victims will call federal lawmakers.
‘I know it’ll save lives,’ Florida bill creates youth conflict resolution pilot program
Read full article: ‘I know it’ll save lives,’ Florida bill creates youth conflict resolution pilot programA local bill meant to reduce violence and get results for kids in and out of the classroom is making its way through committees in Tallahassee.
How new maps are keeping kids safe in Seminole County schools
Read full article: How new maps are keeping kids safe in Seminole County schoolsFeb. 14 will mark six years since 17 people were gunned down at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, but new mapping technology aims to keep kids safe in school.
Your Florida Daily: Deputy claims he had ‘no legal duty’ to stop Parkland shooter, Orlando to launch Pulse memorial fund
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Deputy claims he had ‘no legal duty’ to stop Parkland shooter, Orlando to launch Pulse memorial fundA civil lawsuit filed by more than a dozen survivors and family members of victims killed at Parkland want a jury to prove that a former Broward school resource officer failed to save lives during the shooting.
Years after Parkland massacre, tour freshens violence for group of House lawmakers
Read full article: Years after Parkland massacre, tour freshens violence for group of House lawmakersA second group of U.S. House lawmakers toured the building where Parkland high school students were massacred in 2018.
Stoneman Douglas High shooting site visited one last time by lawmakers and educators
Read full article: Stoneman Douglas High shooting site visited one last time by lawmakers and educatorsFlorida lawmakers and education leaders from several states have taken what is likely to be the final tour of a building at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Broken headlight leads to discovery of Florida man’s mass murder plans, deputies say
Read full article: Broken headlight leads to discovery of Florida man’s mass murder plans, deputies sayDeputies said that last month, a Jupiter police officer pulled over Henry Horton after spotting that his truck’s passenger headlight was broken.
Shots again fired at site of Parkland school massacre in reenactment after lawmakers visit
Read full article: Shots again fired at site of Parkland school massacre in reenactment after lawmakers visitGunfire again erupted at Parkland’s Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as part of a reenactment of the 2018 massacre that left 14 students and three staff members dead.
Your Florida Daily: Lawsuit against Scot Peterson, property insurance costs going up for Floridians
Read full article: Your Florida Daily: Lawsuit against Scot Peterson, property insurance costs going up for FloridiansGunfire will again ring out at Parkland's Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Friday, as part of the civil lawsuit against former school resource deputy Scot Peterson.
Florida school shooting reenactment set for Aug. 4 using live ammunition, judge told
Read full article: Florida school shooting reenactment set for Aug. 4 using live ammunition, judge toldThe reenactment of a 2018 mass shooting at a Florida high school will take place early next month as part of a civil lawsuit and will use live ammunition.
Victims’ families walk though Parkland school massacre site, untouched for 5 years as evidence
Read full article: Victims’ families walk though Parkland school massacre site, untouched for 5 years as evidenceFamilies who lost loved ones in the the 2018 Parkland, Florida, school massacre are being given the chance to tour the classroom building before it is demolished.
Prosecutor: Deputy fled during Parkland school massacre, putting own life ahead of students'
Read full article: Prosecutor: Deputy fled during Parkland school massacre, putting own life ahead of students'A jury will soon decide the fate of a Florida sheriff's deputy accused of failing to protect students during the 2018 Parkland school massacre.
Homicide detective weeps in trial of deputy who failed to confront Parkland high school shooter
Read full article: Homicide detective weeps in trial of deputy who failed to confront Parkland high school shooterA veteran homicide detective wept in court as he testified about the 2018 massacre at a Parkland, Florida, high school.
Jury selection to begin in trial of former Florida deputy accused of failing to confront Parkland shooter
Read full article: Jury selection to begin in trial of former Florida deputy accused of failing to confront Parkland shooterJury selection in the trial of an ex-sheriff's deputy charged with failing to confront the Parkland, Florida, school shooter has gotten off to a speedy start.
Florida bill seeks to lower gun-buying age to 18
Read full article: Florida bill seeks to lower gun-buying age to 18Two House Republicans on Monday filed a proposal that would lower the minimum age from 21 to 18 to buy rifles and other “long” guns, potentially scrapping a high-profile change passed after the 2018 mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
Parkland remembers victims 5 years after school massacre
Read full article: Parkland remembers victims 5 years after school massacreThe community of Parkland, Florida, has gathered to commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of 14 students and three staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
WATCH LIVE: Families get final say before Parkland shooter is sentenced
Read full article: WATCH LIVE: Families get final say before Parkland shooter is sentencedFlorida school shooter Nikolas Cruz will be sentenced to life in prison this week, but not before the families of the 17 people he murdered get the chance to tell him what they think.
Psychologist: Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suffered fetal alcohol damage
Read full article: Psychologist: Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suffered fetal alcohol damageA neuropsychologist says Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz suffered brain damage when his birth mother drank during pregnancy.
Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz was fixated with guns, dreamed of killing others, letter shows
Read full article: Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz was fixated with guns, dreamed of killing others, letter showsFour years before Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people at a Florida high school, therapists at another school wrote a letter to his psychiatrist saying he was fixated on guns and dreamed of killing others and being covered in blood.
Florida school shooter was a ‘damaged person,’ attorney says
Read full article: Florida school shooter was a ‘damaged person,’ attorney saysThe lead attorney for Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz told the jury in his penalty trial Monday they have witnessed “things that will haunt them for the rest of their lives,” but they now need to learn what led him to massacre of 17 people four years ago before they can decide whether he is sentenced to death or life without parole.
Parkland jurors must manage trial stress on their own, judge says
Read full article: Parkland jurors must manage trial stress on their own, judge saysThe 12 jurors chosen to decide whether Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz is executed will be exposed to horrific images and emotional testimony, but must deal with any mental anguish alone.
Deputies protect Florida school killer after potential juror ‘mouthed possible threats’
Read full article: Deputies protect Florida school killer after potential juror ‘mouthed possible threats’Deputies protecting Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz had to pull him aside and surround him after members of a jury pool became potentially threatening.
Florida massacre families to get $127.5 million for FBI’s inaction
Read full article: Florida massacre families to get $127.5 million for FBI’s inactionFederal officials have confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the families of most of those killed and wounded in a 2018 Florida high school massacre over the FBI’s failure to stop the gunman even though it had received information he intended to attack.
Florida school massacre families to get $127.5 million for inaction of FBI
Read full article: Florida school massacre families to get $127.5 million for inaction of FBIFederal officials have confirmed that the U.S. Department of Justice has reached a multimillion-dollar settlement with the families of most of those killed and wounded in a 2018 Florida high school massacre over the FBI’s failure to stop the gunman even though it had received information he intended to attack.
‘It’s not fair:’ UCF students from Parkland remember victims of mass shooting
Read full article: ‘It’s not fair:’ UCF students from Parkland remember victims of mass shootingInside the Student Union at the University of Central Florida, students gathered for a remembrance ceremony marking 4 years after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting which left 17 students killed.
Florida district to pay $26 million to Parkland shooting victims
Read full article: Florida district to pay $26 million to Parkland shooting victimsA South Florida school district will pay more than $26 million to the families of 17 people killed in the 2018 shooting massacre at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Florida student accused of making shooting threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas High
Read full article: Florida student accused of making shooting threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas HighA South Florida teenager is accused of making a school shooting threat against Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 17 counts of murder in 2018 Parkland school massacre
Read full article: Nikolas Cruz pleads guilty to 17 counts of murder in 2018 Parkland school massacreNikolas Cruz has pleaded guilty to murder in the 2018 massacre that left 17 dead at a Parkland, Florida, high school.
School resource officer who hid during Parkland shooting to face criminal charges, judge rules
Read full article: School resource officer who hid during Parkland shooting to face criminal charges, judge rulesA judge has ruled that the former school resource officer accused of hiding during a Florida mass school shooting will have to convince a jury that he wasn’t criminally negligent.
Judge won’t close hearings in Florida school shooting case
Read full article: Judge won’t close hearings in Florida school shooting caseA Florida judge has refused to close pretrial hearings to the media and public in the case of the man accused of killing 17 people in a 2018 high school mass shooting.
Attorneys for suspected school shooter Nikolas Cruz want pretrial hearings closed
Read full article: Attorneys for suspected school shooter Nikolas Cruz want pretrial hearings closedAttorneys for the suspect in a 2018 Florida high school massacre want a judge to bar news outlets and the public from all pretrial hearings.
On Parkland anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun laws
Read full article: On Parkland anniversary, Biden calls for tougher gun lawsPresident Joe Biden used the the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. The president used the occasion to call on Congress to strengthen gun laws, including requiring background checks on all gun sales and banning assault weapons. "For those of us who lost loved ones that day, it's pretty much like any other day. Even before the Parkland tragedy, there was already plenty of anguish in Florida over gun violence. “Today, as we mourn with the Parkland community, we mourn for all who have lost loved ones to gun violence,” he said.
How the Parkland shooting launched a new generation of activists
Read full article: How the Parkland shooting launched a new generation of activistsAs we approach the third anniversary of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, Florida, it’s a good time to reflect on the magnitude of the situation, as well as where it has led us from there.
Florida school district had no duty to predict student danger, judge rules
Read full article: Florida school district had no duty to predict student danger, judge rulesIn this frame grab from video provided by WPLG-TV, students from the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., evacuate the school following a shooting there on Wednesday, Feb. 14, 2018. (WPLG-TV via AP)FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Florida judge has ruled that a local school district had no responsibility to warn students and faculty at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School of the danger posed by a former student who would later be accused of a mass shooting that killed 17 people. Broward Circuit Judge Patti Englander Henning said Monday that the Broward County school district cannot be held liable for failing to predict actions that were beyond its control, the South Florida SunSentinel reported. AdFamilies of the victims have sued Cruz, who was 19 at the time, as well as the school district, the Broward Sheriff’s Office and on-duty deputies who failed to stop the massacre. “The District had no control over Cruz,” the judge ruled.
Senators introduce school safety act nearly 3 years after Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting
Read full article: Senators introduce school safety act nearly 3 years after Marjory Stoneman Douglas shootingSorrow is reverberating across the country Sunday, Feb. 14, 2021, as Americans joined a Florida community in remembering the 17 lives lost three years ago in the Parkland school shooting massacre. (AP Photo/Wilfredo Lee, File)Three U.S. senators have introduced a school safety bill named for two of the students killed in the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting almost three years ago on Feb. 14. Senators Rick Scott, Marco Rubio, of Florida, and Sen. Ron Johnson, of Wisconsin, introduced the Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2021. “The Luke and Alex School Safety Act will ensure that the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse remains a resource our schools can access in the future. AdJohnson introduced the Luke and Alex School Safety Act of 2019 to create the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse.
Florida school district seeks social media posts from parents in 2018 massacre
Read full article: Florida school district seeks social media posts from parents in 2018 massacreFORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – A Florida school district wants the families of students and staff slain in a 2018 high school massacre to turn over their social media posts from that period, saying it needs them as part of its defense against the families’ lawsuits accusing it of negligence. The district cited multiple lawsuits in which judges found social media postings were relevant for the defense, including lawsuits against local governments. “Such postings are clearly relevant,” school district attorney Eugene Pettis wrote in a motion demanding the posts, according to the South Florida SunSentine l. “Defendants are entitled to discover whether the plaintiffs have made any comments on social media regarding” the shooting. Cruz had a long history of emotional and behavioral problems and his social media posts have been presented as evidence. In addition to the school district, Cruz, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and its former deputy, Scot Peterson, who was stationed at the school, and others are facing multiple lawsuits.
Florida mothers united in tragedy push lawmakers to act
Read full article: Florida mothers united in tragedy push lawmakers to actAt the Florida Capitol in Tallahassee, Giordano crossed paths Thursday with Lori Alhadeff, who lost her 14-year-old daughter Alyssa in the Parkland school shooting. Giordano and Alhadeff are linked over their grief of losing children and working to get lawmakers to make schools safer, albeit in different ways. Alhadeff was back to urge lawmakers to require panic buttons at schools to more quickly summon for help. Ron DeSantis, public schools would be required to have a tub or other large container filled with cold water at the sidelines during all games and practices. The proposed law would also require schools to train personnel on how to recognize signs of heat-related ailments, including potentially deadly heat strokes, and to take life-saving actions.
Funding needed to help protect schools in some Central Florida counties
Read full article: Funding needed to help protect schools in some Central Florida countiesMany school district and county leaders in Central Florida said they're working to have multiple armed guards in the high schools. Below is a county-by-county breakdown of how schools are budgeted for the SRO program. The starting salary for a guardian is $32,000 while the starting salary for a deputy is $36,000. The SRO budget for 2019-2020 not yet finalized but is expected to be about $5 million. The total budget for the SRO program is $8.3 million, which includes training, salaries, purchasing vehicles and more.
Orlando-area students participate in walkouts in wake of school shooting
Read full article: Orlando-area students participate in walkouts in wake of school shootingWalkouts were reported Wednesday at Hagerty High School, Lake Mary High School, Oviedo High School, University High School in Orange City and Lyman High School, among other schools across the state. Video showed students sitting on the ground outside of University High School in Orlando chanting "What do we want? Officials from Volusia County Schools said more than 2,000 students participated in a walk out at University High School in Orange City. Seminole County School DistrictWhile the district isn't organizing the event, officials have been made aware and school administrators have been notified. The principal at University High School in Orange City estimates more than 2,000 students participate.