Ryan Nicol
Max Schachter, whose son Alex was killed in the February shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, has decided not to run for the soon to be open House District 97 seat.
Schachter, who lives in Coral Springs, had said he was weighing a run for the seat after state Rep. Jared Moskowitz was tapped by GOP Gov.-elect Ron DeSantis to lead the state’s Division of Emergency Management.
That appointment will trigger a special election once Moskowitz resigns from his seat.
“I am just consulting with my family” on the best way to “honor my son’s memory,” Schachter had previously said to the Sun Sentinel.
But in a Twitter announcement Monday, Schachter said his work preventing future mass shootings in the state is best accomplished outside the Legislature.
“The next school mass murderer is already out there,” Schachter wrote.
“The gun he is going to use is already out there. My mission is to educate every school in the U.S. to mitigate the casualties when this happens.
“This is why I have decided NOT to run for the open house seat. I hope you understand.”
The next school mass murderer is already out there. The gun he is going to use is already out there. My mission is to educate every school in the us to mitigate the casualties when this happens. This is why I have decided NOT to run for the open house seat I hope you understand.
— Max Schachter (@maxschachter) December 10, 2018
He is a member of the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Public Safety Commission, established by lawmakers and Gov. Rick Scott after the shooting.
Schachter has also voiced his support for stricter gun measures and called out the Broward County School Board.
Before the shooting, Schachter worked as an insurance agent. But he has taken a break from that work to focus on the school safety issue.
Several other Parkland parents had encouraged Schachter to run for the HD 97 seat.
Coral Springs City Commissioner Dan Daley announced last week he would seek to replace Moskowitz.
