Fla. Bill May Require Statewide School Panic Alarms for Shootings

Sun Sentinel

A bill named in honor of a Parkland student that would require panic alarms in schools is ready for approval in the Florida Legislature, despite lingering questions over whether it is molded to benefit a politically connected company.

Lawmakers have been generally supportive of the legislation called Alyssa’s Law, but squabbling has broken out among vendors that could benefit financially from the proposed mandate.

Lori Alhadeff, who has been championing the legislation, said she’s “very optimistic” that Alyssa’s Law will pass, and panic buttons will be in all schools by the start of the next school year.

"I am really excited that the legislators are moving Alyssa’s Law forward, and they are going to get it done this legislative session,” Alhadeff said.

Alhadeff’s daughter, Alyssa, was one of the 17 people killed in the Feb. 14, 2018, school shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Alhadeff, a Broward County School Board member, has been advocating for panic buttons as a way to save lives during the next school shooting.

The legislation would create a statewide panic alert system that would notify police and paramedics of an emergency with the press of a button on a cellphone. It also includes $8 million in funding for a vendor to provide a mobile panic alarm system.

That has created some fighting among companies who want to reap the mandate’s windfall. Companies that offer hardwired panic systems or wearable buttons want to have a shot at providing the service.

C. Scott Jenkins, a lobbyist for the company School Check IN, said during a meeting in late February the legislation is being written for a single vendor, Mutualink and Rave Mobile Safety, which provides the app that Mutualink uses. He also said smaller counties don’t have the Wi-Fi capabilities to handle cellphone-based panic buttons.

“By awarding a single vendor, it stifles competition,” he told lawmakers. "It stifles innovation.”

Mutualink is represented by lobbyist Mike Haridopolos, a former president of the Florida Senate. Rave Mobile Safety is represented by Kim McDougal, who served as former Gov. Rick Scott’s chief of staff.

Rep. Chris Latvala, R-Clearwater, said the Legislature is not picking winners and losers, and the Florida Department of Education would be charged with picking which company would provide the system.

“It’s amazing when there is money attached to a bill the kind of folks that come out of the woodwork to try to get a piece of it,” he said during the February meeting.

Haridopolos said allegations the legislation was written to benefit his client Mutualink are being brought by competitors that can’t compete with his client’s technology. The vendor will need to go through a competitive bid process, he said.

“They are going to pick the device that works the best,” Haridopolos said.

Latvala filed an amendment that gives districts more flexibility on which system they use. It requires the statewide system to be certified by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. Mutualink and Rave Mobile Safety have that certification while many of their competitors do not.

Alhadeff said she’s confident the legislation will make children safer when it takes effect, and school districts will be free to add any capabilities they want beyond the statewide system.

“In a life-threatening emergency, seconds matter, and by having these panic buttons, we will save lives,” she said.