Broward County commissioners honor Parkland shooting victims

Mayors of Parkland, Coral Springs pay tribute to victims as anniversary nears

FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. – The mayors of Parkland and neighboring Coral Springs took part in a moment of silence during Tuesday morning's Broward County Commission meeting in honor of the victims killed in last year's mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

Broward County commissioners began their meeting with a 17-second moment of silence for the 17 people killed in the Parkland school shooting last Valentine's Day.

"As we head to Thursday, there's a lot of trauma in the community and everyone should just take a breath, take it easy on themselves, take it easy on one another," Parkland Mayor Christine Hunschofsky said. "Everybody is going through their own personal struggles with this."

Hunschofsky and Coral Springs Vice Mayor Joy Carter, who is serving as mayor pro tempore after Mayor Skip Campbell died in October, then took turns reading the names of each of the 14 students and three faculty members who lost their lives that day.

"It's just respecting the people and honoring them, because this is terrible and no community wants to suffer through this," Carter said. 

Thursday will mark the one-year anniversary of the tragedy at the school.

"Throughout what we've been through for the past year, I think it's just imperative that we never forget why we're here, we never forget the lives lost and we never forget the lives impacted by what happened," Hunschofsky said.

Broward County Public Schools will pay tribute to the victims by observing a district-wide moment of silence at 10:17 a.m. The school district is also encouraging students to participate in service projects throughout the day.

All school districts in the state will also hold a moment of silence at 10:17 a.m. as an act of solidarity with the Broward County school system.


About the Authors:

Terrell Forney joined Local 10 News in October 2005 as a general assignment reporter. He was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, but a desire to escape the harsh winters of the north brought him to South Florida.