(ReclaimingAmerica.net) – Florida’s GOP Governor Ron DeSantis has signed three bills into law prohibiting citizens of Communist China from buying land in the Sunshine State.
In a statement on the three bills – SB 264, SB 846, and SB 258 – DeSantis, deemed a major 2024 presidential hopeful, said last year he urged the state legislature to double down on its efforts to crack down on “corporate espionage and higher education subterfuge carried out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its agents.”
SB 264, or the Interests of Foreign Countries Act, bans “governmental entities from contracting with foreign countries and entities of concern and restricts conveyances of agricultural lands and other interests in real property to foreign principals,” including the People’s Republic of China and persons affiliated with it.
The state law will allow Chinese citizens with nontourist visas only to buy single parcels smaller than 2 acres and located at least 5 miles from military installations, reports WTVT, a Fox News affiliate, as cited by The Hill.
The second new law, SB 864, or the Agreements of Educational Entities with Foreign Entities Act, bans state colleges and universities and their employees and representatives from taking any gifts “in their official capacities from a college or university based in a foreign country of concern.”
The legislation also bans state colleges and universities from taking grants or partnering with educational institutions in foreign countries – unless such agreements or partnerships have been approved and authorized by the Florida Board of Governors or the State Board of Education.
The third new law signed by DeSantis – SB 258 – requires that Florida’s Department of Management Services “create a list of prohibited applications owned by a foreign principal or foreign countries of concern, including China, which present a cybersecurity and data privacy risk.”
The same legislation requires “government and educational institutions to block access to prohibited applications on all government servers and devices in the state.”
At the same time, public employers must preserve their ability to wipe and uninstall such applications from government-issued devices remotely – for instance, Chinese social media TikTok.
“Florida is taking action to stand against the United States’ greatest geopolitical threat — the Chinese Communist Party,” DeSantis said in his statement.
“I’m proud to sign this legislation to stop the purchase of our farmland and land near our military bases and critical infrastructure by Chinese agents, to stop sensitive digital data from being stored in China, and to stop CCP influence in our education system from grade school to grad school. We are following through on our commitment to crack down on Communist China,” the governor added.
Before the new legislation on persons and entities from the People’s Republic of China, Florida’s legislature also passed measures targeting foreign countries of concern, including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, and Venezuela.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) has signed multiple bills that prohibit Chinese citizens from purchasing land in the state. https://t.co/kFrCm8tSeh
— The Hill (@thehill) May 9, 2023
