On Friday, from his seat on the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, U.S. Rep. Charlie Crist, D-Fla., announced a federal grant for the University of South Florida (USF).
Crist said the federal government will send the $478,553 grant to USF “to study and improve the effectiveness of violence prevention and mental health training programs in schools across the nation.”
The funds will come from the U.S. Department of Justice to help a USF study on the STOP School Violence Act training. The STOP School Violence Act was passed by Congress in 2018 to cut down on school violence.
Crist weighed in on the funds on Friday.
“I’m proud to see that the bright minds at USF will be leading the charge to do everything in our power to protect students, teachers, and faculty from school violence,” said Crist. “Making sure that programs authorized by the STOP School Violence Act are effective is critically important. Our Bulls are up to the task!”
First elected to Congress in 2016 after winning three state offices as a Republican, including serving as Florida’s governor, Crist represents parts of Pinellas County. He faces businesswoman and Air Force veteran Anna Paulina Luna, who won the Republican primary last month, and write-in candidate Jacob Curnow in November.
Reach Kevin Derby at kevin.derby@floridadaily.com.
