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In response to the rising acts of antisemitism, Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed a measure allowing lawmakers to secure recurring funding for private Jewish day school security in the state budget.
The legislation (HB 1109) mandates the Florida Department of Education to establish regular funding for security measures such as guards, cameras, fencing, impact windows, perimeter lighting, and related security costs at Jewish schools. While the bill itself does not allocate any specific funds, it sets the framework for ongoing financial support.
Senator Joe Gruters, a Sarasota Republican, highlighted a significant increase in antisemitic incidents following the October 7 attack on western Israel by Palestinian Hamas terrorists. Additionally, the doubling of Jewish day school enrollment over the past five years underscores the need for a reliable funding source.
“This is something both chambers unanimously supported as recently as the Special Session in November,” Gruters said, referencing the $25 million earmarked to enhance security at 134 Jewish day schools in the state. In December, DeSantis allocated an additional $20 million to be shared equally between Jewish day schools and four Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs).
The bill’s passage in the Senate saw less contention compared to the House, where six Democratic lawmakers opposed it after sponsor Randy Fine, a Palm Bay Republican, criticized comments by Gainesville Democratic Rep. Yvonne Hinson as “garbage.” Hinson inaccurately claimed that HB 1109 allocated $50 million to Jewish schools without providing any funds for public school security.
Fine, who is Jewish, rebuked Hinson for misrepresenting the legislation. A House staff analysis indicated that the Legislature has allocated $1.2 billion to public school districts for security improvements since 2018, in addition to hundreds of millions for school hardening.
Despite the opposition, Robinson clarified that her “no” vote was due to the disrespect Fine showed Hinson, the chamber’s oldest Democratic member, rather than the bill’s objectives. “It wasn’t a bad bill. But this was about disrespect. It happens quite often, and it gets to be emotional,” she said.
