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Florida school safety laws after Parkland massacre touted by victim's dad as national 'blueprint'

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Florida school safety laws after Parkland massacre touted by victim's dad as national 'blueprint'

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ORLANDO, Fla. – Since the Parkland high school shooting, Florida’s elected leaders have pledged to implement proactive measures, making the state a “blueprint” for preventing mass shootings.

Their advocacy and legislative work was on display at the inaugural Florida National Summit on School Safety, where law enforcement and school officials from 20 different states came together with one goal – to share best practices in school safety.

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Fox News Digital spoke with Ryan Petty, who lost his 14-year-old daughter Alaina in the 2018 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Petty shared how Florida is preventing mass shootings, and what other states can learn.

“We’ve had school safety bills now every year since the Parkland tragedy,” he said. “So we’re doing a lot of things right here in Florida, and we wanted to share that blueprint with the rest of the country. So we invited states from across the nation to come, and we’re all learning from each other. And hopefully, as a group, help each other solve this problem.”

BROTHER OF PARKLAND SCHOOL SHOOTING WELCOMES DEMOLITION

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 13, 2021. (Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Ryan Petty, whose 14-year-old daughter Alaina was killed in the 2018 Parkland high school shooting, tells Fox News Digital that “how we protect our nation’s schools tracks much more closely with the response JD Vance gave than anything Tim Walz said.”  (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

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Alaina Petty was one of the 17 people who were killed on Feb. 14, 2018 at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The shooter, Nikolas Cruz, a 19-year-old former student at the school, opened fire on students and staff, killing 17 people and injuring 17 others. The victims included 14 students and three staff members.

“They say time heals all wounds, but it’s seven years now, and it’s still the first thing I think about in the morning when I wake up, and it’s often the last thing I think about before I go to sleep,” he said. 

“Which is why this mission is so important. I know my daughter, Alaina, would be proud of me for advocating for other students to be protected from a danger that I didn’t understand was possible,” he said.

The Florida National Summit on School Safety highlighted how the state has worked to improve school safety following the Parkland, Florida high school shooting in 2018 that killed 17. (Sarah Rumpf-Whitten/Fox News Digital)

Florida Commissioner of Education Manny Díaz Jr. highlighted how the Parkland shooting brought attention to the U.S. Secret Service’s (USSS) research on “leakage,” or warning signs, preceding a mass shooting.

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“The tragedy of Parkland is an example of where everything went wrong and where there were multi-agency failures up front,” he told Fox News Digital. “There was leakage multiple times that this could have been stopped the front. So it was a complete failure across the board, allowing us to learn from that incident.

“And we’ve been able to put in place not only these preemptive measures with the threat assessment, but we’ve now evolved into threat management, where when we take a student into that process, we monitor that student to make sure that they receive services to avoid a crisis,” he said.

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WATCH: Florida Commissioner of Education discusses warning signs

He shared that Florida officials have “hardened” their schools by creating single entry points, updating technology and having police or additional guardians that are trained to prevent on-campus shootings.

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Díaz said that in all the past mass shootings across the U.S., there was always a crisis point.

“We know in all of these shootings that there was leakage, but there’s also the ability, if you have things right, to prevent it, even after everything else has failed,” he said.

A memorial is made outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, where 17 students and faculty were killed in a mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, Feb. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

Utah has taken notes on how Florida has risen from the Parkland tragedy. Matt Pennington, the Utah State Security Chief with the Department of Public Safety, said that they have “paralleled” Florida’s legislation.

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Pennington told Fox News Digital that Utah’s legislative body is taking proactive steps to prevent a tragedy before it happens.

“Several of the Parkland parents came to our legislative session and spoke to legislators about their experience, their impact and how it’s affected them in their lives,” he said. “And that really just drove it home when you have people coming that are victims and their children have lost their lives due to school violence.

“It’s really important that we get ahead of this in Utah and hopefully not have an attack.”

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Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’

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Atlanta-area police blast parents over vodka martini packed in school lunch: ‘That is NOT apple juice’

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An Atlanta-area police department issued a blunt notice to parents after officers claimed a child brought a vodka-based beverage to school — tucked beside Doritos in a packed lunch.

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The City of South Fulton Police Department sounded off about the incident in a now-viral Facebook post, warning parents to “CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX.”

“Say Twin… Before you send them babies off to school… CHECK. THE. LUNCHBOX. Because why are we getting reports of juice boxes sitting next to… Cutwater margaritas??” the department wrote.

Officials also shared a photo of the alleged lunchbox, containing what appears to be a child’s lunch, Doritos and a Cutwater Lemon Drop Martini.

The police department shared a photo of a Cutwater canned cocktail in a lunchbox. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)

“That is NOT Capri Sun. That is NOT Apple Juice. That is a whole ‘Parent had a long night’ starter pack,” the department wrote. “Now little Johnny done pulled up to 3rd period talking about: ‘Who want fruit snacks?’ knowing good and well he got a Lemon Drop Martini in the zipper pocket.”

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Cutwater Lemon Drop Martinis, as found in the lunchbox, are 11% ABV ready-to-drink cocktails made with vodka, triple sec, lemon juice and natural flavors.

They come in 12-ounce cans, similar in appearance to a soda can.

The City of South Fulton Police Department issued a statement after the apparent mishap. (City of South Fulton Police Department via Facebook)

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The department said it understands mornings can be hectic, but issued a stern notice to parents to “TIGHTEN UP.”

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“Your child shouldn’t be the only one in the cafeteria with a beverage that requires an ID,” authorities wrote. “If it says 12% ABV… it does NOT belong next to a PB&J.”

Officials also provided a “quick parent checklist,” with items including: “Homework,” “Lunch packed,” and “Alcoholic beverages.”

Boxes of Cutwater Tiki Rum Mai Tai and Strawberry Margarita canned cocktails. (Gado/Getty Images)

“Check the lunchbox before the Fulton County Schools Police resource officers gotta do inventory at recess,” the department added.

It is unclear if any parents or students were disciplined in relation to the mix-up.

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Fulton County Schools did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.

The City of South Fulton, Georgia, is a rapidly growing municipality located about 20 minutes from Atlanta and Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport.

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Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges

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Federal prosecutor admits ‘extraordinary’ timing in Abrego Garcia smuggling case charges

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A federal prosecutor acknowledged Thursday that the decision to charge Salvadoran migrant Kilmar Abrego Garcia two years after a routine traffic stop was “extraordinary” while defending the human smuggling case as legally justified.

Abrego Garcia, 31, has become a flash point in the national immigration debate since last March, when he was deported to El Salvador in violation of a 2019 court order in what Trump administration officials acknowledged was an “administrative error.” 

The Supreme Court later ruled that the administration had to work to bring him back to the U.S.

After returning in June, Abrego Garcia was taken into federal custody in Nashville and detained on human smuggling charges stemming from a 2022 traffic stop in Tennessee.

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He has pleaded not guilty and is seeking dismissal of the charges on the grounds of vindictive and selective prosecution.

Kilmar Abrego Garcia and his wife Jennifer Vasquez Sura, left, are accompanied by Lydia Walther-Rodriguez, right, of We Are Casa, as they leave the federal courthouse, Thursday, in Nashville, Tenn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

A 2019 court order prevents Abrego Garcia from being deported to El Salvador after an immigration judge determined he faced danger from a gang that had threatened his family. He immigrated to the U.S. illegally as a teenager and has been under the supervision of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). 

Abrego Garcia was accused in court records of repeated domestic violence against his wife, who alleged multiple incidents of physical abuse in protective order filings. She later withdrew the protective order request and has defended her husband publicly. 

The Department of Homeland Security has also said he was living in the U.S. illegally and has alleged ties to MS-13, disputing portrayals of him as simply a “Maryland man.” His attorneys have denied the gang allegations.

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Tennessee Highway Patrol body camera footage from when Abrego Garcia was pulled over for speeding shows a calm exchange with officers. While officers discussed suspicions of smuggling among themselves — noting there were nine passengers in the vehicle — Abrego Garcia was issued only a warning.

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A woman holds a sign in support of Kilmar Abrego Garcia in front of the U.S. District Court in Nashville. (Getty Images )

First Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee Rob McGuire, who was acting U.S. attorney in April 2025, testified Thursday that his decision to charge Abrego Garcia was based on the evidence.

“I had previously prosecuted several human smuggling cases,” McGuire said, noting that after seeing video of the traffic stop, “I was immediately struck by how similar what was being depicted in the body cam was to those investigations.”

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McGuire said Abrego Garcia’s vehicle belonged to someone with “a human smuggling background” and added that the route was “suspicious.”

“It was a large number of individuals traveling in one SUV with a driver who spoke for the group. No one had luggage… the car had Texas plates… the route was suspicious,” McGuire said.

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Kilmar Abrego Garcia arrived at the federal courthouse, Thursday, for a hearing on whether the charges against him should be dismissed. (AP Photo/George Walker IV)

During cross-examination, McGuire acknowledged that the timing of the charges, coming so long after the traffic stop, was “extraordinary.”

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He said he had not previously been aware of the traffic stop but reiterated that nobody in the Trump administration, including the White House or the Department of Justice, pressured him to seek the indictment.

When asked about whether he might have felt pressure to prosecute the case, McGuire said, “I’m not going to do something that is wrong to keep my job.”

DHS OFFICIAL RIPS KILMAR ABREGO GARCIA FOR ‘MAKING TIKTOKS’ WHILE AGENCY FACES GAG ORDER

Kilmar Abrego Garcia, right, and his brother Cesar Abrego Garcia, center, arrive at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement field office in Baltimore, Aug. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Stephanie Scarbrough)

McGuire also said timing factored into charging Abrego Garcia since he was being held in El Salvador, and he did not want the indictment to go public before all senior officials were briefed on the matter.

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“I knew from the get-go that this was going to be a controversial matter,” McGuire said.

U.S. District Judge Waverly D. Crenshaw did not make a ruling Thursday and said he would wait to receive post-hearing briefs from attorneys by March 5 before determining whether another hearing is necessary.

Crenshaw previously found some evidence that the prosecution “may be vindictive” and that prior statements by Trump administration officials “raise cause for concern.”

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Thursday’s court appearance came after a federal judge blocked the Trump administration from re-arresting Abrego Garcia into federal immigration custody on Feb. 17.

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Fox News Digital’s Breanne Deppisch, Jake Gibson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’

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GOP Rep Nancy Mace introduces ‘Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act’

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., has introduced a bill to authorize the death penalty as a potential punishment for the sexual abuse of children.

“We have zero mercy for child rapists. Those who prey on our most vulnerable deserve the harshest consequence we can deliver,” Mace said in a statement.

The proposal is aptly called the “Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act.”

Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., announces she will run for South Carolina governor during a press conference at the Citadel in Charleston, South Carolina, on Aug. 4, 2025. (Tracy Glantz/The State/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

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“No predator should be allowed to walk away from the most unthinkable crimes against children,” Mace noted. 

“This bill is simple. Rape a child and you don’t get a second chance, you get the death penalty. We will never apologize for protecting America’s children,” Mace added.

The bill would put capital punishment on the table as an option to punish those who sexually abuse children.

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Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., attends the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump in the Rotunda of the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 20, 2025, in Washington, D.C.  (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)

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“INTRODUCING: The Death Penalty for Child Rapists Act to amend Title 18 to authorize the death penalty for aggravated sexual abuse, sexual abuse of a minor and abusive sexual contact offenses against children. It will also amend the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to authorize the death penalty for the rape of a child,” she said in a post on X.

“We’ve spent months fighting to expose Jeffrey Epstein’s network of powerful predators. We’ve demanded accountability and pushed for transparency. Now we’re making sure anyone who rapes a child faces the ultimate consequence,” she noted.

Mace has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since early 2021. 

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She is one of the candidates currently running in the South Carolina Republican gubernatorial primary.

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