MIAMI, Fla. (WWSB) – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a school safety bill Friday that expands certain safety measures to Florida’s public colleges and universities.
House Bill 757 extends the state’s school guardian program to public postsecondary institutions and requires sheriffs to assist with implementation, DeSantis said during a bill-signing event at Miami Dade College.
DeSantis said the bill builds on safety measures Florida adopted after the Parkland school shooting. Since 2019, the state has invested $3.1 billion in student safety, DeSantis said.
“This bill expands the school guardian program to public postsecondary institutions and requires sheriffs to assist in the implementation of the program,” DeSantis said.
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The bill requires public postsecondary institutions that do not already have a public safety reporting application to implement Fortify Florida or a comparable system by July 1, 2026, according to DeSantis. Institutions must advertise the platform on their websites, install it on institution-issued mobile devices and bookmark it on computers maintained by the institution.
The legislation creates a new criminal offense for unlawfully discharging a weapon within 1,000 feet of a campus, DeSantis said. The provision does not apply to lawful self-defense, he said.
The bill establishes the Active Response and Mitigation of On-Campus Risk Act, or ARMOR Act. The measure requires active assailant response plans, family reunification plans and annual security risk assessments at each campus.
Florida Education Commissioner Stasi Kamutsis said student safety has been his top priority and thanked lawmakers, law enforcement officials and education leaders who worked on the bill.
State Board of Education Chairman Ryan Petty, whose daughter, Alaina, was killed in the 2018 Parkland school shooting, said Florida has continued to strengthen school safety measures in the years since the attack.
“Having that armed presence on campus is vital,” Petty said while discussing the guardian program.
Miami Dade College President Madeline Pumariega said the bill continues Florida’s focus on campus safety while supporting higher education.
After signing the bill, DeSantis took questions on several other topics, including a proposed presidential library affiliated with Miami Dade College, undocumented students in higher education, Cuba and immigration enforcement.
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