Broward deputies will be closing off access to the area surrounding Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland on Friday, making room for a delegation from Congress to tour the site and, later, for at least one re-enactment of the mass shooting that permanently scarred South Florida 5½ years ago.
Road closures will begin at 2 a.m. on Pine Island Road/Coral Springs Drive from North Community Park (just north of Westview Drive) to the intersection of Pine Island and Holmberg Road.
Holmberg will be closed off from the Pine Island intersection west to the Heron Bay Boulevard roundabout, also starting at 2 a.m.
It’s not yet clear how long the roads will be closed, so anyone who needs to travel through the area should plan a detour ahead of time.
The congressional delegation will start touring the school’s 1200 building at 8 a.m., accompanied by the families of six of the 17 victims of the Feb. 14, 2018, mass shooting.
The building is set to be demolished. It had been preserved since the shooting to be used as evidence in the trial of gunman Nikolas Cruz. The jury deciding whether Cruz should be sentenced to death toured the building last Aug. 4 for a firsthand look at the chaos left in Cruz’s wake. Though most jurors supported execution, the vote was not unanimous and the defendant was sentenced to life in prison.
Max Schachter, whose son, Alex, was among the victims, invited members of Congress to the site before it’s torn down so they could see for themselves the kind of damage can be caused by someone with an AR-15 style rifle. U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, who represents Parkland, is leading the delegation, which includes representatives from Florida, Pennsylvania, California and New York.
Once that tour is over, the building will be used by attorneys in the families’ civil suit against the Broward Sheriff’s Office and former Deputy Scot Peterson. The family lawyers are hoping that by recreating the shooting, they will be able to demonstrate that Peterson should have been able to tell, with certainty, that the shots he heard that day were coming from the 1200 building.
Peterson’s lawyer is hoping the reenactment will prove the opposite. Peterson was acquitted in June of charges of felony child neglect, but he is still a defendant in the civil trial.
The exact time for the re-enactment on Friday has not been released. The elected officials expect to be off campus by 9:30 a.m.
Rafael Olmeda can be reached at rolmeda@sunsentinel.com or 954-356-4457.