Authorities say man in his mid-20s who had a military I.D. with the name Esteban Santiago opened fire, seemingly at random, killing five and injuring eight. The suspect has since been taken into custody, and airport operations have essentially shut down.
At Tampa International Airport, which sends and receives extensive air traffic to and from Fort Lauderdale, officials say for the most part it's business as usual, save for stepped-up security measures and a few canceled or rerouted flights.
So far, three flights bound for Fort Lauderdale have been rerouted to Tampa, and four flights from TIA bound for the Atlantic coast city have been canceled, TIA communications manager Christine Osborn told CL.
She added that while those traveling out of TIA should not anticipate travel delays in the wake of the shooting, the public can expect to see a larger law enforcement presence, especially in areas accessible to the public, like check-in areas and baggage claims, and that there will be more "behind the scenes" security measures taking place.
On Friday evening, Florida House Democratic Leader Janet Cruz, a Tampa Democrat who has called for stronger gun laws, expressed her condolences in a written statement—and made note of how frequent mass shootings have become.
“Our hearts go out to the victims of today’s senseless mass shooting at the Fort Lauderdale Airport, and we offer our deepest condolences to their family and loved ones. There are no words that will properly express or convey the deep well of sadness these all too common tragedies evince each time we are shown the darkest horrors of humanity," she said.
This article appears in Jan 5-12, 2017.