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Families of Parkland victims write legislators: Vote 'Yes' on 7026

On the eve of the House vote, the families make a last-minute appeal.
 
Flowers, candles and hand-written signs are seen outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in Parkland, Fla., where a mass shooting that killed 17 people took place last week. ALESSANDRA DA PRA  | Times
Flowers, candles and hand-written signs are seen outside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School on Wednesday, Feb. 21, 2018, in Parkland, Fla., where a mass shooting that killed 17 people took place last week. ALESSANDRA DA PRA | Times
Published March 7, 2018

One the eve of a final vote on the school safety bill before the Florida House, the families of all 17 victims of the Parkland shooter urged legislators to pass the school safety bill saying “the issue cannot wait.”

“You must act to prevent mass murder from ever occurring again at any school,″ the families wrote in an letter emailed to all 120 members of the Florida House on Tuesday.

The Florida House debated the bill, SB 7026, for more than six hours Tuesday, rejecting 37 amendments and leaving in tact the plan that narrowly passed the Florida Senate on Monday.

“This issue cannot wait,″ the families wrote. “The moment to pass this bill is now. We must be the last families to suffer the loss of a loved one due to a mass shooting at a school. We demand action by the entire Florida Legislature to keep our schools safe.

“Vote “YES” on SB 7026 ‐ Public Safety. This Time Must Be Different!”

The letter was signed, “Sincerely, Lori Alhadeff, Max Schachter, Ryan Petty, Linda Beigel Schulman, Fred Guttenberg, Damian and Denise Loughran, Manuel and Patricia Oliver, Mitch Dworet, Jennifer and Tony Montalto, Kong Feng Wang and Peter Wang, Andrew Pollack, Tom and Gina Hoyer, Vincent and Anne Ramsay, Miguel Duque, Debbi Hixon, April Schentrup, and Melissa Feis.”