TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — Top emergency management and law-enforcement officials with the state are raising alarms about a legislative proposal to shift money away from domestic security programs.
The Florida Senate is proposing to use more than $10 million in federal money to help improve security at schools instead of using it for first response teams or on data mining used to identify potential terrorist threats.
Bryan Koon, Florida's emergency management chief, warned that the grants are needed to sustain the state's current domestic security efforts. He also questioned the idea of setting aside all the money to help schools.
But Sen. Bill Galvano, R-Bradenton and the senator who oversees school spending, defended the Senate's push to use the money. He said that senators had placed a priority on school safety and security.
