PARKLAND, Fla. – Today, Governor Rick Scott announced that he will be organizing meetings with state and local leaders in Tallahassee next week to discuss ways to keep Florida students safe, including school safety improvements and keeping guns away from individuals struggling with mental illness. Governor Scott remains in Broward County and has continued to be briefed by law enforcement, emergency management, and local school officials. Additional details on next week’s meetings will be announced in the coming days.

Governor Scott said, “This senseless act of evil is absolutely heart wrenching. Our entire state is in mourning, and we have to make sure something like this never happens again. The violence must stop. We cannot lose another child in this country because of violence in our schools. We need to have a real conversation about public safety and protecting schools in our state. That is why, next week I will be organizing meetings with state and local leaders in Tallahassee to discuss what we must do immediately to keep our schools safe and keep guns out of the hands of mentally ill individuals.

“As a father and grandfather, I cannot imagine the pain these families are going through, and Florida’s parents need to be able to wake up every morning and know their children are going to a safe school. We have an opportunity right now during the ongoing legislative session to have this important conversation, and I have spoken to Senate President Negron and House Speaker Corcoran who are incredibly focused on this. My goal is that these meetings and conversations will help us move forward and protect our schools, our families, and our students.”