DeSantis Gets Bill to Arm Campus Guardians at Florida Colleges, Universities

Gov. Ron DeSantis has received legislation that would extend Florida's armed school guardian program — long established in K-12 schools — to the state's colleges and universities. The move comes after last year's deadly shooting at Florida State University.

The bill now awaits DeSantis's signature. If signed into law, it would allow trained, armed staff members — non-law-enforcement employees who volunteer and pass rigorous vetting — to serve as guardians on college and university campuses across Florida.

For the Treasure Coast, the implications are direct. Indian River State College, with campuses in Fort Pierce, Stuart, Vero Beach and Okeechobee, would be eligible to participate under the expanded program, as would Florida Atlantic University's Treasure Coast campus in Port St. Lucie. Whether those institutions would opt in remains an open question. The guardian program is voluntary for districts and, under current K-12 rules, voluntary for individual schools. Campus administrators have not yet publicly addressed whether they would participate.

The FSU shooting killed two people and wounded six others in November 2024. It reignited debate in Tallahassee over whether the guardian model — adopted by many rural and suburban K-12 districts after the 2018 Parkland massacre — should be carried into higher education. Supporters argue the program fills a critical security gap on commuter campuses where sworn officers are spread thin. Critics, including some faculty unions, have raised concerns about the risks of placing armed civilians in complex campus environments.

Florida's guardian program requires participants to complete 144 hours of firearm safety and active-shooter training, pass a psychological evaluation and submit to drug testing, officials said. Those standards would carry over to the college-level expansion under the legislation.

DeSantis has not publicly indicated a timeline for action on the bill. If he signs it, state agencies would then establish implementation rules, giving institutions a formal window to decide whether to launch guardian programs. Governing boards at IRSC and FAU's Treasure Coast campus would ultimately face that decision in the months ahead.

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