HR 8023 full text · Session Watch

1 House Resolution

2 A resolution recognizing February 14, 2026, as

3 "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Memorial Day" in

4 Florida, a day of remembrance for all of those who

5 lost their lives, or whose lives were forever changed,

6 as a result of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman

7 Douglas High School in Parkland.

9 WHEREAS, on February 14, 2018, Valentine's Day, students,

10 faculty, and staff at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in

11 Parkland arrived on campus for a school day that began like any

12 other, and

13 WHEREAS, at 2:19 p.m., a 19-year-old former student of the

14 school was dropped off by an Uber driver on the east side of the

15 Marjory Stoneman Douglas campus, and

16 WHEREAS, the young man was carrying a rifle bag, and

17 minutes later entered the east hallway doors of Building 12 on

18 the campus, where he removed his semiautomatic rifle from the

19 bag, loaded the weapon, and donned a magazine-carrying vest, and

20 WHEREAS, at 2:21 p.m., the young man fired the first rounds

21 to the west of the first floor hallway, striking four students,

22 only one of whom survived her injuries, and

23 WHEREAS, in the minutes that followed, the young man

24 repeatedly fired into classrooms and at those within his line of

25 sight in the hallway, and

26 WHEREAS, at 2:22 p.m., the first 911 call, coming from

27 inside Building 12, was received by a law enforcement

28 communications center in Coral Springs, and

29 WHEREAS, at 2:27 p.m., the young man fired his last

30 gunshot, entered the west stairwell on the third floor of

31 Building 12, placed his rifle vest and 180 rounds of live rounds

32 on the ground, and ran down the stairs, joining in with a large

33 group of students who were fleeing the campus, and

34 WHEREAS, in those terrifying 6 minutes from the beginning

35 of the assault to his exit from the building, the young man took

36 the lives of 17 members of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High

37 School family and wounded 17 others, many of them gravely, and

38 traumatized thousands of others, and

39 WHEREAS, those who died were 14-year-old Alyssa Alhadeff,

40 an honor student and athlete; Scott Beigel, age 35, a teacher

41 and coach with a passion for volunteerism; 14-year-old Martin

42 Duque Anguiano, Jr., an honor student and JROTC cadet corporal;

43 17-year-old Nicholas Dworet, captain of the swim team and

44 selected by faculty as one of twenty first-class graduating

45 seniors who excelled in academic achievement, character,

46 community service, and athletic achievement; Aaron Feis, age 37,

47 a loving husband and a devoted father, coach, and mentor who

48 always put his family first; 14-year-old Jaime Guttenberg, a

49 competitive dancer and a volunteer to children with special

50 needs; Christopher Hixon, age 49, who served in the United

51 States Navy for 27 years, both active duty and reserves, and

52 followed his passion for sports to become athletic director for

53 Broward County Public Schools; 15-year-old Luke Hoyer, known as

54 "Lukey Bear" to his family, who played for many years in the

55 Parkland Basketball League and aspired to join the Marjory

56 Stoneman Douglas football team in the fall; 14-year-old Cara

57 Loughran, who is remembered as a fiercely loyal, determined,

58 beautiful soul and an accomplished Irish step dancer; 14-year-

59 old Gina Montalto, a Girl Scout, an avid reader, a talented

60 artist, and a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas color

61 guard; 17-year-old Joaquin Oliver, who is remembered as the most

62 vibrant personality in any room he entered and as a best friend;

63 14-year-old Alaina Petty, a vibrant and determined first-year

64 cadet in the JROTC program, where she achieved the highest rank

65 possible for a freshman; 18-year-old Meadow Pollack, who aspired

66 to be an attorney and a mom and who, while small in stature,

67 projected strength and determination; 17-year-old Helena Ramsay,

68 who had friends from all cultures, was passionate about

69 environmental issues, and hoped to join an expedition to find

70 the exquisite pink dolphins of the Amazon; 14-year-old Alex

71 Schachter, lover of sports, especially playing basketball and

72 football, and who played the trombone in the Marjory Stoneman

73 Douglas Eagle Regiment Marching Band; 16-year-old Carmen

74 Schentrup, a National Merit Scholar who wanted to cure ALS and

75 loved to explore the world, especially enjoying national parks;

76 and 15-year-old Peter Wang, who embodied the values espoused in

77 the JROTC program — honor, duty, respect, loyalty, selfless

78 service, and courage — and who was posthumously admitted to the

79 West Point class of 2025 and awarded the institution's Medal of

80 Heroism for his actions to save fellow students on that day, and

81 WHEREAS, on February 14, 2018, amid the terror and carnage

82 of that day, there were extraordinary acts of courage by members

83 of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas family, several of whom gave

84 their lives in the protection of others, and

85 WHEREAS, the events of February 14, 2018, at Marjory

86 Stoneman Douglas High School forever changed the lives of the

87 students, faculty, and staff who survived the massacre and their

88 family members, the first responders who rushed to the scene,

89 the health care workers who tended to the wounded, and all who

90 witnessed the carnage, and many more throughout the community,

91 and

92 WHEREAS, out of the tragedy came hope in the scores of

93 students who survived the attack and who joined together to make

94 change and attempt to ensure that the events of February 14,

95 2018, will not be forgotten, and the several family members who

96 chose to turn their pain into purpose by advocating for the

97 enactment of laws, policies, and practices to make our schools

98 safer, NOW, THEREFORE,

100 Be It Resolved by the House of Representatives of the State of

101 Florida:

103 That we remember the tragic events of February 14, 2018,

104 and all of the lives lost or forever changed due to the mass

105 shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

106 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that February 14, 2026, is

107 recognized as "Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Memorial

108 Day" in Florida.

109 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be

110 available for presentation to the surviving family members of

111 those who lost their lives in the mass shooting at Marjory

112 Stoneman Douglas High School as a tangible token of the

113 sentiments expressed herein.