A man was arrested Friday morning after police say he was found on the campus of Fernandina Beach Middle School carrying a compound bow, arrows and knives. A school employee confronted him in the parking lot, and the two struggled before he was taken into custody. Ralph Suarez now faces a string of felony charges, including making a false bomb threat, in a case that unfolded just one day after a new Florida school safety law took effect.
According to News4JAX, a school employee—not the school's resource officer—initially confronted Suarez in the parking lot, and the two engaged in a physical struggle.
Suarez was charged with exhibiting a weapon on school property, armed trespass on school property, making a false report of a bomb threat, and resisting arrest, per the station's report. Police said the Criminal Investigations Division is now investigating the incident, and officers have not said what Suarez's intentions were while on campus.
New State Law Raises the Stakes
A Florida school safety provision under House Bill 757 took effect October 1, 2026, one day before the incident. It makes intentionally firing a weapon within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours or a sanctioned activity a felony; anyone arrested for that specific offense must remain in custody until appearing in court for bail consideration, according to WFLA NewsRadio.
Under Florida Statute § 810.095, entering or remaining on school grounds without authorization while carrying a weapon is classified as armed trespass on school property, a third-degree felony punishable by up to five years in prison and a $5,000 fine, per the Florida Legislature. A separate statute, § 790.115(1), makes it a third-degree felony to exhibit a knife, sword or other weapon in a careless, rude or threatening manner on school property or within 1,000 feet of a school during school hours.
The most serious charge Suarez faces stems from § 790.163, which classifies a false report concerning a bomb or explosive as a second-degree felony carrying up to 15 years in prison and a $10,000 fine.
A Top-Rated Campus With Growing Security Measures
Fernandina Beach Middle School, located at 315 Citrona Drive, serves roughly 721 students in grades six through eight as part of the Nassau County School District. Just last October, the Florida Department of Education designated the school a 2024–2025 Florida School of Excellence, an honor reserved for schools ranking in the top 80th percentile statewide for sustained academic performance.
Policing on the campus falls to the Fernandina Beach Police Department rather than the Nassau County Sheriff's Office, which provides school resource officers for public middle and high schools elsewhere in the county. The sheriff's office has separately worked to bolster security districtwide, introducing K9 Max, a firearm-detection Labrador trained to sweep middle and high school campuses for weapons and ammunition, in August 2025.
Investigators have not said how Suarez gained access to the campus during school hours, and police have not disclosed any connection between him and the school. The Criminal Investigations Division's review of the incident remains ongoing.
