School alert plan tied to Pine Hills tragedy dies without debate

There’s an old saying in public safety: “If you see something, say something.” It was widely used after the 9/11 attacks in New York City to promote public vigilance, and the Department of Homeland Security has since adopted the phrase.

Its meaning is self-evident: If you witness a crime being committed or potential danger, make sure you alert law enforcement so they can do something about it.

Legislation that died unheard in Florida’s 2026 Session would have flipped the roles in that arrangement in rare but important circumstances. Miami Gardens Democratic Sen. Shevrin Jones, who sponsored the proposal, promises to bring it back for next year.

The measure (SB 814, HB 715) was meant to improve safety procedures at public schools, private schools and child care facilities. It would have created a new emergency alert system for dangerous, fast-moving situations, like when someone commits a violent crime and is still on the run.

Local police agencies would have to quickly notify nearby schools and day cares to lock down and, in more serious cases, send broad public alerts warning of imminent threats through phones, media and highway signs with details to help people stay safe and identify the suspect.

Notably, it included protections for law enforcement, media and others from being sued if they share the alerts in good faith, even if some details turn out to be wrong.

“SB 814 is about making sure our schools are never left in the dark when danger is nearby,” Jones said in a statement about the legislation, a priority of his for the now-completed Session.

“While I’m disappointed it did not get across the finish line, this approach could have empowered schools to act quickly, and ultimately help save lives. … Moving forward we’ve already begun working with state agencies to explore new approaches and are committed to refining the bill over the summer so we can bring it back even stronger next session.”

Jones’ bill and its House twin by Orlando Democratic Rep. Rashon Young would have named the proposed alert system the “Ya Ya Alert” after T’Yonna “Ya Ya” Major, a 9-year-old who was killed in a 2023 Pine Hills shooting while a violent suspect was still at large.

The man charged with Major’s killing, Keith Moses, had previously murdered a woman and later returned to the scene, shooting Major and her mother, who survived and has since sued the Orange County Sheriff’s Office.

“We are not done,” Angel Grantley, Major’s aunt, said in a statement about the legislation. “We are willing to fight for what we believe in and that’s all kids’ lives matter.”

Quinten Jones, a community advocate and strategist who hosted a town hall where a potential “Ya Ya Alert” was first discussed, said he and others in Pine Hills will continue to fight for the change.

“While we didn’t cross the finish line on the Ya Ya Alert this Session, our fight is far from over,” he said in a statement. “Our communities deserve action, and I’m confident that together, with our legislators and law enforcement, we will get this done.”

House records show lobbyist registrations on the legislation by the Florida League of Cities, Association of Public Safety Communications Officials, Florida 911 Coordinators Association and the National Emergency Number Association.

In the upper chamber, SB 814 never advanced because Fort Myers Republican Sen. Jonathan Martin, who chairs the Senate Criminal Justice Committee where it was to have first been heard, declined to schedule it for a hearing in any of the eight meetings the panel held between Oct. 7 and Feb. 11.

Hillsborough Republican Rep. Danny Alvarez similarly shut HB 715 out of consideration by leaving it off the agenda for all nine meetings the House Criminal Justice Committee, which he chairs, held between Oct. 15 and Feb. 12.