Citing Parkland School Shootings, Rick Scott Wants to Hold FBI More Accountable

This week, pointing to last year’s school shooting in Parkland, U.S. Sen. Rick Scott, R-Fla., unveiled a proposal to which he insists will “hold the FBI accountable for its failures to address critical deficiencies in its handling of actionable intelligence.”

Scott joined family members of Parkland shooting on Thursday to showcase the “Threat Information Protocol for Sharing (TIPS) Act.”

The bill would ensure the FBI shares information from its national tip lines and websites to the respective states, including sending monthly reports offering detailed information on the threats and the names of individuals identified. The FBI would also have to report on whatever actions it pursues against these threats.

“Not a day goes by that I don’t think about the 17 souls that were taken from us in a brutal act of violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School,” Scott said. “Following the tragedy, we all worked together to pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act to make our schools safer and prevent future tragedies, but we aren’t finished. We cannot accept the repeated failures of the FBI to properly investigate and act on specific tips received about the Parkland shooter, as well as other perpetrators of mass violence in Florida. I’m proud to stand with the family members of the victims to announce the TIPS Act, which bridges the gap between federal and state law enforcement agencies by mandating information sharing of all state-specific criminal intelligence tips. This is about getting information on threats into the hands of the right people, who can ultimately prevent violence and protect our families.”

Stand with Parkland President Tony Montalto said he backed the proposal.

“After the tragedy at Parkland we were proud to work with then-Governor Scott to pass the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Act into law. It instituted real reforms to harden our schools and keep students safe. Now we’re honored to join him in supporting the TIPS Act, which addresses the failures of the FBI leading up to the tragedy that took our loved ones. No one at the FBI has been held accountable for their systemic failures, and one of the goals of Stand with Parkland’s founding families is to make sure no parents or spouses have to go through what we have. Senator Scott has been a true friend and partner in the last year and a half and we’re honored to endorse his bill and look forward to working with other members of Congress to see it become law,” Montalato said.

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody also backed the proposal.

“In order to keep Floridians safe, we need strong partnerships with our federal law enforcement partners. The TIPS Act will ensure that state and local law enforcement receive timely information from the FBI. I thank Senator Scott for proactively identifying ways we can prevent future tragedies, like Parkland from happening again,” Moody said.

Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.