The Collier County Sheriff's Office increased deputy presence at the county's schools Thursday, one day after a mass shooting at a high school in south Florida that left 17 dead.
"You're not supposed to come to to school worried, 'Am I ever going to see my family again? Is something bad going to happen today?'" said Nelly Perez, a student at Golden Gate High School.
Sheriff Kevin Rambosk, along with Collier County Public Schools Superintendent Kamela Patton, developed an enhanced security plan after news broke of the shooting at Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland.
"Usually there's one or two deputies, but (today) there were lke four or five," said Golden Gate High School student Jesse Hernandez. "I do feel safer."
The enhanced safety measures also come after recent security concerns at Barron Collier High School. According to a sheriff's report, students informed authorities on February 1 that another student allegedly created a "hit list" on Snapchat, which listed the names of 25 students and two teachers. The school district is not naming the student, who told investigators that it was just a joke. He was given a civil citation before being taken to the David Lawrence Center.
In January, a 19-year-old man was arrested after allegedly getting drunk and walking into the high School through an unsecured door.
Gary Reid, the grandparent of a student at Gulf Coast High School in north Collier County, appreciated the increased deputy presence.
"We need police protecting our children," Reid said. "People are wacky out there right now. It's out of control."
The Collier County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on how long the increased security measures would last.
