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DeSantis Seeks Grand Jury Investigation of Broward County School Failures 1 Year After Parkland Shooting

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announces during a Feb. 13 press conference at the Broward County Courthouse that he is ordering a statewide grand jury investigation into how the Broward County’s school district and other districts in the state handle student security. (Photo: Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday he wants a grand jury to look into possible mistakes made by Broward County Public Schools in addressing the Parkland, Florida, shooting.

The grand jury would have more subpoena power and a greater scope compared to the Marjory Stoneman Douglas Public Safety Commission, which released a January 2019 report detailing the missteps during the shooting in 2018. The Florida Supreme Court will need to accept DeSantis’ petition in order for the grand jury investigation to begin, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.

The grand jury would have to look at actions of all school districts in the state; however, DeSantis was clear the move was aimed for Broward County Public Schools, the Sun Sentinel reported.

“There’s more evidence in Broward than other districts,” DeSantis said, according to the newspaper.

The grand jury would examine whether:

“I agree with Gov. DeSantis’s decision to examine safety measures in school districts throughout the state and support any review or investigation that could result in improved safety and security in our own district and school districts statewide,” Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Robert Runcie said in a statement.

The safety commission, appointed by former Republican Gov. Rick Scott, found in its initial report that school doors were unlocked, cops were preoccupied with equipment instead of immediately confronting suspected shooter Nikolas Cruz, and various communication problems.

The Parkland shooting occurred one year ago on Feb. 14, 2018. The massacre resulted in 17 people getting killed.

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