After Las Vegas shooting, Disney, Orlando theme parks need more security checks

• Additional security and upgrades at Orlando venues might mean higher ticket prices
• Las Vegas shooting was the deadliest in modern U.S. history, almost 60 dead and 500+ injured
• After 9/11, hotels in high-volume tourist areas beefed up security measures

Following the shooting massacre at a country music festival in Las Vegas last weekend, there's a renewed focus on security at theme parks and hotels in Central Florida, one of the world's most popular tourism destinations.

If Las Vegas is known as a global playground for adults, then Orlando and Central Florida, with Walt Disney World and other theme park attractions — not to mention tens of thousands of rooms in towering hotels and resorts — could fairly be labeled as a playground for families.

So how safe are those venues? And will security increase even further, as violence seems to be focused on areas like concerts and other outdoor events that attract tens of thousands of people?

Yes, says Dennis Speigel, head of the Ohio-based International Theme Park Services Inc., a theme park consultancy. And the public will be thankful, he said.

Speigel mentioned a study his company did 18 months ago for a major theme park — whose identity he wouldn't disclose — on how visitors would react to a more prominent security presence.

"The average Joe coming to the park wants to have a good time and be safe."

"Ninety-nine percent felt more comfortable," Speigel said. "The average Joe coming to the park wants to have a good time and be safe, and he wants his family to be safe. If it takes a little extra screening and wanding, or some other security measures, he doesn't care because of the carnage we have experienced."

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Metal detectors

In late 2015, Disney World started placing walk-through metal detectors in front of all four of its theme parks. Universal Orlando began using wand-style metal detectors in an area leading into its parks and nightlife district. And SeaWorld Orlando also began using wand-style detectors.

Speigel expects hotels and resorts to place greater emphasis on spotting suspicious behavior and alerting authorities.

If additional security and upgrades at Central Florida tourism venues mean higher ticket prices and hotel rates, it's likely something the public would embrace it, said Rick Munarriz, a senior analyst with the Motley Fool, a financial services company.

Munarriz doesn't see any meaningful impact on theme park stock prices because of the Las Vegas massacre, but there could be added expense to operations that customers mostly likely will foot.

The details:  Las Vegas shooting

"We've been blessed and never had a theme park attack and, hopefully, that never happens," Munarriz said. However, "if upgrades are occurring, they'll pass the costs down, and I think people will understand and pay more as just the price of security."

Representatives of Disney, SeaWorld and Universal did not respond to FLORIDA TODAY requests for comment about security issues.

9/11 was 'wake-up call'

In the immediate aftermath of 9/11, hotels in high-volume tourist areas deemed to be possible terrorist targets such as Las Vegas beefed up low-tech security measures such as daily room checks if a guest posted a “do not disturb” sign for a significant amount of time and didn't respond to knocks or phone calls. Some properties also employed explosive-sniffing dogs, and occasionally would stop and check incoming vehicles.

The 9/11 terrorist attack "was a wake-up call for how to protect venues," said Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey, whose staff oversees law enforcement throughout the Space Coast as well as at Port Canaveral, the nation's second-busiest cruise port in terms of passenger counts.

But many security experts also noticed that some of those extra measures have fallen off somewhat in various parts of the country, as the terrorist attacks of 9/11 moved further into the past. That now is likely to change in the wake of the Las Vegas tragedy.

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Ivey said that after a mass shooting — like the one at the Route 91 Harvest Festival in Las Vegas that killed 59 people and injured more than 525 — Monday morning quarterbacking to see how things could have been done differently is almost inevitable.

"The hotel industry, like every one of us, is going to look back and see if anything could have been done differently," Ivey said. But "when someone has such evil in their heart," like the Las Vegas shooter did, it's difficult to find a way to stop something like this.

'Ramping up security'

Runaway Country Executive Producer Gary McCann said he has increased security procedures over the years at his outdoor country music festival, which was held at Wickham Park in Melbourne for five years before moving to Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee in 2016.

"We've been ramping up security more and more," said McCann, whose company is based in Melbourne. "It is something we review each year."

That included metal detectors, hand scanners and visual bag checks of patrons, plus plainclothes security and video surveillance, for Runaway County, with typically attracts 12,000 to 15,000 concertgoers a day for its three-day run.

But McCann said it would be difficult for the promoter of the Las Vegas festival to protect concertgoers from a shooter who set up in a hotel across the street.

"This type of evil, I don't think there's a way to stop it all."

"This type of evil, I don't think there's a way to stop it all," McCann said, while adding that "every venue around the world" probably is reviewing its security plans following the Las Vegas shootings.

Melbourne attorney Jerry Trachtman, who is a founding member and a publisher of Living Safer, a monthly magazine that focuses on a range of safety issues, said he expects hotel officials are discussing how to increase security.

At some companies, that may include considering luggage security checks when people check in, something which is being done in Israel.

"It wouldn't surprise me, but I don't think the hotels want to be seen as intrusive, and lose business," Trachtman said.

There might be some alternatives, though.

For example, Orlando-based Westgate Resorts announced earlier this year that it was introducing a new concealed weapons detection system at its Westgate Las Vegas Resort & Casino, a nearly 3,000-room hotel with a casino and convention center that's  located just off the Las Vegas Strip. 

The developer of the system, Patriot One Technologies, describes the system as "an effective tool to combat active-shooter threats before they occur. Designed for cost-effective deployment in weapon-restricted buildings and facilities, the innovative software solution and related hardware can be installed in hallways and doorways to covertly identify weapons and to alert security of an active threat entering the premises." 

Mark Waltrip, chief operating officer for Westgate Resorts, said his company also hopes to deploy such systems at other locations across the country.

Westgate operates about 9,000 units in Florida, most of them condo-style timeshares. Most are concentrated in the Orlando area, with some in other major tourism centers, including Cocoa Beach, Daytona Beach and Miami.

In a statement following the Las Vegas massacre, the American Hotel & Lodging Association couldn't say how hotels might change security because of the shooting, but understood the public's need for assurances on safety.

“As a business that is centered on serving the public, no issue is more important than safety and security,” American Hotel & Lodging Association President and Chief Executive Officer Katherine Luga said. “Hotels have safety and security procedures in place that are regularly reviewed, tested and updated, as are their emergency response procedures. As we better understand the facts in the coming days, we will continue to work with law enforcement to evaluate these measures.”

Seeking federal funding

U.S. Reps. Val Demings, Stephanie Murphy and Darren Soto, who represent the Orlando area, are seeking legislation to include federal counterterrorism funding for Orlando. 

They also have called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to fix what they say is a flawed formula for calculating terrorism risk that was responsible for Orlando being excluded from Department of Homeland Security Urban Area Security Initiative program eligibility in the last few years. 

“The safety of our communities must be a top priority," Murphy said in a statement announcing their proposal. "Additional funding for the UASI program will help ensure that cities like Orlando are prepared to handle potential terrorist attacks. As a global tourist destination, Orlando faces unique security challenges. An increase in UASI funding will give law enforcement and first responders the training and tools they need to keep our families safe.” 

In the statement, Soto said Orlando "is a thriving, global city, and we must continue to do all we can to keep Floridians and our visitors safe and secure. We have seen too many recent international and national tragedies, including in our beloved Orlando. In this era of growing terror threats, it is vital we are proactive with our preparedness and prevention plans.” 

Orlando received funding through the Urban Area Security Initiative in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2014, but has not qualified for the funding since.

While all this is going on in government and the private sector, individuals who attend concerts or football games — or even go to the movies — are becoming more conscious of the "what-ifs." They are more likely to be planning out their exit strategy in case someone starts shooting.

"It's just a commentary on the way things are right now,"  Trachtman said. "It's terrible that we have to live in a world that we have to do this. But the public needs to be more aware. As Bob Dylan once said: 'The times, they are a-changin.' "

Berman is government editor at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Berman at 321-242-3649

or dberman@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @bydaveberman

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Price is business editor at FLORIDA TODAY.

Contact Price at 321-242-3658

or wprice@floridatoday.com.

Twitter: @Fla2dayBiz

What you can do

Brevard County Sheriff Wayne Ivey said, when you are going to a major public event like a concert or sports event, there are some things you need to do to increase your odds if there is a shooting.

Your actions "in the first 30 seconds" could be crucial, Ivey said.

Although he has pushed a "4 As of survival" strategy when there is active shooter,that includes "arm yourself" and "attack," that's not always possible, such as in the Las Vegas shooting.

Among Ivey's advice:

• Be aware of your surroundings.

• Look for your exits.

• Look for places to take cover, if you can't reach an exit.