Florida education officials are preparing to launch a first-of-its-kind pilot program that will place nonlethal, armed security drones on select school campuses as part of a new strategy to respond more quickly to active-shooter threats.
The initiative, funded with $557,000 in the state’s 2025–26 budget, will roll out in Broward, Leon, and Volusia counties, according to the Florida Department of Education. The districts were chosen based on their readiness and interest in testing emerging school-safety technology.
The drones, provided by Texas-based company Campus Guardian Angel, will be stored in secure stations on school grounds. When a silent panic alarm is triggered, the drones will automatically deploy within seconds. The remote pilots who operate from a command center in Austin, Texas, navigate using a digital model of each campus and provide real-time video feeds to law enforcement…