Status: Signed by Governor Ron DeSantis on May 16, 2026 at the 5th Annual Commissioner’s Summit on School Safety in Miami. Effective October 1, 2026.
Bill Number: FL HB 757 (2026 Regular Session)
Jurisdiction: Florida
Category: Campus Safety, Higher Education Security, Threat Assessment, Active Assailant Response
Industries: Higher Education, Public Postsecondary Institutions
Enacted Date: May 16, 2026
Effective Date: October 1, 2026 (unless otherwise specified within the bill)
Summary: Florida HB 757 extends the state’s nation-leading K-12 school safety framework to public colleges and universities for the first time. The legislation builds on the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act framework by importing core elements — armed guardians, threat management, and assailant response planning — into the postsecondary environment. It also creates a new second-degree felony offense for discharging a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school.
Key Requirements:
- Guardian Program Expansion: The Chris Hixon, Coach Aaron Feis, and Coach Scott Beigel Guardian Program is expanded to Florida’s public colleges and universities. Trained, armed guardians screened by local sheriffs’ offices — including psychological evaluation, drug screening, and at least 144 hours of training — may serve on participating postsecondary campuses.
- Assailant Response Plans: Public colleges and universities must develop active assailant response plans aligned with the state’s K-12 framework.
- Threat Management Teams: Each institution must establish a multidisciplinary threat management team to identify, assess, and intervene with individuals who may pose a risk to campus safety.
- Family Reunification Procedures: Institutions must adopt written family reunification procedures to be activated during emergencies.
- School-Zone Firearm Offense: Discharge of a weapon or firearm within 1,000 feet of a school is elevated to a second-degree felony.
Affected Entities: All Florida public colleges and universities, including the State University System and the Florida College System. Independent postsecondary institutions are not directly mandated but are expected to align voluntarily.
IntelliSee Relevance: Very High — Continuous AI-powered visual monitoring directly supports the threat management, assailant response planning, and incident documentation obligations HB 757 creates. AI weapons detection, fall detection, and aggressive-behavior monitoring at campus entrances, residence halls, parking structures, and academic buildings produce verifiable, time-stamped incident records that strengthen the threat management team workflow and provide objective evidence for after-action review. Florida postsecondary institutions evaluating their HB 757 compliance posture should consider AI monitoring as an engineering control that complements the new Guardian Program staffing and assailant response plan requirements.
Compliance Timeline
- May 16, 2026 — Signed by Governor DeSantis.
- October 1, 2026 — Most provisions take effect; institutions begin standing up threat management teams, assailant response plans, and Guardian Program participation processes.
- Academic Year 2026-2027 — Full operational implementation across the State University System and Florida College System expected.
Related Legislation
- Florida Use of Artificial Intelligence to Detect Concealed Firearms (CS/HB 491, 2025)
- Alyssa’s Law – Florida
- Ricky and Alyssa’s Law – Georgia (HB 268)
- Connecticut School Emergency Response Systems Act (SB 1216 / Public Act 25-102)
Bill text and history: Florida Senate — HB 757 (2026) | Governor’s Office press release