ORLANDO, Fla. – Florida lawmakers on Wednesday will speak in Tallahassee about a bill to create a statewide emergency alert system for schools and child care facilities if there is an imminent threat in the area.
The sponsors of the “Ya Ya Alert” bill in the Florida House and Senate are speaking at 11:15 a.m.
The “Ya Ya Alert” is named after T’Yonna Major, a nine-year-old girl who was killed in February of 2023 when a gunman, identified by law enforcement as Keith Moses, shot her in her home. She was one of three people killed in the shooting spree. Her mother, Brandi Major, was also shot but survived.
[WATCH: 9-year-old killed in shooting was student at Pine Hills Elementary School]
The bills, HB 715 and SB 814, would require law enforcement to activate the emergency alert system to notify public and private schools and child care facilities of an imminent threat. The House bill is sponsored by State Rep. RaShon Young, D-Orlando. The Senate bill is sponsored by State Sen. Shevrin Jones, D-Miami Gardens. Several Orlando state lawmakers are cosponsors of both bills.
Critics of the law enforcement response in the Keith Moses case claim the Orange County Sheriff’s Office should have notified the community that they were still searching for Moses and that he was dangerous.
The families of the victims in the Keith Moses case, including Major’s family, are suing the sheriff’s office over that perceived lack of communication.
Neither bill has been heard in its assigned committees yet, which is a key step in getting passed.