Gov. DeSantis announces more funding, new policies to improve school safety

BREVARD COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis announced two executive orders aimed at improving school safety in Titusville on Wednesday, the day before the one-year mark since the Marjory Stoneman Douglas shooting in Parkland.

DeSantis said he wants to create a line of communication between agencies to be proactive and pinpoint potential violent suspects before they act.

He said the suspects in the Pulse nightclub shooting, Parkland school shooting and Sebring bank shooting all exhibited signs of violence before they acted. Being more proactive with communication, he said, could help prevent future attacks.

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On Wednesday, DeSantis also announced that he’s adding more funding and extending the deadline for the guardian program, which was established after the Parkland shooting to help place armed officers at every Florida public school.

DeSantis announced that he’ll extend the deadline for districts to apply for the program, and also will provide an additional state funds to do so.

Later, DeSantis traveled to South Florida where, alongside families of Parkland shooting victims, he annoounced a new plan to bring accountability to school leaders when it comes to how school safety is handled by establishing a statewide multi-jurisdictional grand jury.

"I think they're going to have a very broad mandate. I think they're going to have the power, subpoena and otherwise to get to the facts -- to the truth," DeSantis said.

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