Florida school tip line law

What does the Florida law require?

FDLE must competitively procure a mobile tool that lets students and the community report unsafe, dangerous or criminal activity, or threats of it, anonymously to public safety agencies and school officials. It does this in collaboration with the Department of Legal Affairs (the Attorney General's office). The program is named FortifyFL, as recommended by Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School students. FDLE must receive reports electronically through a tool available on both Android and Apple devices. The tool had to be in place by January 31, 2019. The Department of Education says the Attorney General's office, the Department of Education and FDLE developed the program, and points readers to getfortifyfl.com as the program site. The Department of Education lists a FortifyFL contact address: FortifyFL@fldoe.org.

What must school districts and charter schools do?

District school boards must promote FortifyFL on district websites, in newsletters, on campuses and in publications, install it on student-issued mobile devices, and bookmark it on student-issued computers. Within the first 5 days of each school year, district school boards and charter school governing boards must make sure students are taught how to use FortifyFL. The instruction must be age and developmentally appropriate and cover the consequences of making a threat or a false report. Charter schools must comply with the statute's promotion and instruction subsection. District school boards must also, by resolution, run a student crime watch program that lets students and the community report concerns anonymously.

What does the State Board of Education rule add?

School districts must keep each school's FortifyFL listing current, including name, address and MSID number (the state's school ID number). Districts must update FortifyFL within five school days of a school opening or closing. Districts must keep current phone and email contacts in FortifyFL for each school's administrator and the school safety specialist. Student instruction on consequences must cover both school discipline and possible criminal charges. Each year, district school boards must offer FortifyFL training to parents and guardians before the school year starts, or at enrollment if mid-year. That training has to summarize the state's criminal laws on threats and false reports and their penalties. Charter schools and their governing boards must meet the rule's safety requirements, which include these FortifyFL duties. The current version of the rule, Rule 6A-1.0018, took effect September 23, 2025.

How are tips routed?

Tips must be promptly forwarded to the right law enforcement agency or school official. Florida law sets no 24/7 monitoring schedule and no numeric response time; "promptly forwarded" is the whole rule. According to the program site, FortifyFL routes tips automatically to the right law enforcement agencies and school officials, and state-level officials also have access to tips. FortifyFL is a required data source for the Florida School Safety Portal. Districts must set policies so that FortifyFL reporting in the state's school safety assessment tool includes charter school data.

Who must be told about FortifyFL?

Law enforcement dispatch centers, school districts, schools, postsecondary institutions and others must be made aware of the tool. FDLE, with the Attorney General's Division of Victim Services and the Department of Education's Office of Safe Schools, must develop and provide a training and awareness program on the tool. The Office of Safe Schools must send participating schools materials on proper use of FortifyFL, including the consequences of knowingly submitting false information. Certain public colleges and universities without their own public safety reporting app as of July 1, 2026 must promote FortifyFL.

Are reporters anonymous?

The tool must tell users that they may report anonymously. If a reporter gives their name, it is shared with law enforcement and school officials, who must keep it confidential. A reporter's identity held by FDLE, the Department of Education, law enforcement or school officials is confidential and exempt from public records disclosure. All other information received through the tool is also exempt from public records disclosure. These exemptions are repealed on October 2, 2028 unless the Legislature reenacts them.

What happens with false reports?

If an investigation finds someone knowingly submitted a false FortifyFL tip, the device's IP address goes to law enforcement and the person may face criminal penalties. Districts must advertise that knowingly submitting a false tip may lead to a law enforcement investigation and criminal penalties. A district's code of student conduct must give notice that a student found to have made a threat or false report involving school property, school transportation or a school activity will be expelled for at least one full year and referred for criminal prosecution. The superintendent may consider that expulsion case by case and ask the school board to modify it. Under general criminal law, knowingly giving false information to a law enforcement officer about an alleged crime is a first-degree misdemeanor. A false report about a bomb or about using firearms in a violent manner is a second-degree felony. Posting or sending a written or electronic threat to kill or hurt someone, or to carry out a mass shooting or act of terrorism, is a second-degree felony.

How was FortifyFL funded?

For the 2018-2019 budget year, the Legislature gave FDLE $300,000 one-time and $100,000 recurring general revenue to procure the tool.

Has the law changed recently?

A 2024 law (HB 1473), effective July 1, 2024, added the duty to teach students FortifyFL within a set timeframe. A 2026 law (HB 757), approved May 15, 2026 and effective on becoming law, requires certain public colleges and universities to promote the tool. In the 2026 session, only two bills cited the FortifyFL statute: HB 757, which passed, and its Senate companion, SB 896, which was laid on the table on March 11, 2026. As of October 28, 2026, no bill filed for the 2027 regular session cites the FortifyFL statute or mentions FortifyFL.