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Gov. DeSantis orders flags at half-staff Sunday to honor 17 lives lost in Parkland school shooting

Governor also asks Floridians to pause for moment of silence at 3 p.m.

Flags fly at half-staff Sunday outside the Duval County Public Schools building in Jacksonville, Fla. (WJXT)

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis ordered flags across the state be lowered to half-staff from sunrise to sunset Sunday to honor the 17 lives lost in the Parkland school shooting.

Authorities said a former student of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School opened fire on campus with an AR-15 rifle on Valentine’s Day in 2018. When the gunfire ended, 14 students and three staff members were dead, and 17 others were wounded. The suspect, Nikolas Cruz, is still awaiting trial.

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In his proclamation for a day of remembrance, DeSantis asked fellow Floridians to pause for a moment of silence at 3 p.m. Sunday.

“The Parkland community is resilient in the wake of tragedy, reminding us just how strong and united Floridians can be in the face of such devastating loss,” the governor said in his proclamation.

READ: Marjory Stoneman Douglas Remembrance Day proclamation

The governor also noted some of the school safety measures enacted since the tragedy three years ago, including money to install panic alert systems at schools across the state and to strengthen programs meant to prevent violence before they occur.

The panic alert measure was dubbed “Alyssa’s Law,” in honor of 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff, one of the students killed three years ago.


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