PARKLAND, Fla. — Plans have been announced to erect a memorial honoring the 17 people whose lives were lost in the 2018 Parkland school shooting.
The Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation said Wednesday that the official memorial will be constructed in a serene preserve.
It will be open to the public as a place to remember the 14 students and three faculty members who were killed in the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
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Tony Montalto, whose daughter, Gina Montalto, was one of the victims, serves as vice chairman of the Parkland 17 Memorial Foundation.
"This foundation was established to build the official public memorial to the victims of the Parkland massacre to ensure they are forever remembered as the people they were – as innocent children with vibrant, bright futures ahead of them, educators and coaches who gave so much of themselves to their students," Montalto said.
The nonprofit foundation said fundraising is now underway for the memorial, which is being constructed with input from the victims' families. Click here to make a donation.
Former student Nikolas Cruz pleaded guilty to the massacre. Cruz was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole last year after a Broward County jury couldn't unanimously agree that he should be put to death for his crimes.
