Overview
- Education Commissioner Anastasios Kamoutsas named the three districts, making Florida the first state to fund a school drone response pilot.
- The system places drones on campus for near-instant deployment, with a stated goal to respond in five seconds and reach a shooter within 15 seconds.
- Drones carry nonlethal deterrents including sirens, bright lights and loudspeakers, and can release pepper spray or ram to disorient until police arrive.
- Incidents are managed from an operations center in Austin using digital twins to guide flights, staffed by former Navy SEALs, SWAT officers and elite drone pilots.
- District leaders and a Parkland parent advocate voiced support as the pilot ties into Alyssa Alert and evaluates cost and scale, with estimates of $4–$8 per student per month and roughly 18 to 90 drones per school.