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TALLAHASSEE — The Florida Senate has began fast-tracking a suggestion that will bar the sale of agricultural land and assets inside of 20 miles of army bases to pursuits tied to the Chinese executive or different international locations on an inventory of “countries of concern.”
The invoice (SB 264), which handed the Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday, additionally would save you Florida executive companies from getting into contracts involving get right of entry to to private information with entities tied to nations of outrage. Also, it will require health-care suppliers to be certain digital era helps to keep affected person information throughout the continental U.S.
“There are countries that simply don’t stand up for our way of life, our thoughts or ideas, ideals and principles,” invoice sponsor Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, stated. “This bill protects, strategically speaking, our land and to make sure … we aren’t dependent on other countries for agriculture.”
While China is the main focal point of Collins’ proposal, different nations of outrage are Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.
Gov. Ron DeSantis and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson have driven for restrictions on farm-land acquisitions via other folks and entities related to the Chinese executive.
While she voted for the measure, Senate Minority Leader Lauren Book, D-Plantation, puzzled if the proposal creates a discriminatory state of affairs “for individuals who are here in this country who want to purchase property.”
Collins stated the intent is to differentiate between individuals who have migrated to the U.S. and other folks nonetheless tied to the centered governments.
“We are not targeting individuals. We are talking about countries specifically and their practices on the international stage,” Collins answered.
States, in accordance to a Senate workforce research, have “narrow limits” to practice rules solely to “alien inhabitants,” however courtroom selections have decided “each state, in the absence of any treaty provision to the contrary, may deny to aliens the right to own land within its border.”
The invoice would take impact July 1. People or entities that personal agricultural land prior to then wouldn’t have to surrender the valuables, however they’d be avoided from increasing their acreage after that date.
Information isn’t readily to be had about how a lot agricultural land in Florida is owned via entities tied to China.
A Senate workforce research pointed to a 2021 U.S. Department of Agriculture record through which 6.3 p.c of the 21.85 million acres of privately held agricultural land in Florida was once owned via foreigners of all nationalities.
“It is unclear how much of that land is owned by China, although the (federal) department does report that (China) owns 96,975 acres in the ‘South Region,’ which includes Florida,” the workforce research states.
Also below the invoice, beginning Jan. 1, 2024, entities in the hunt for to bid on executive contracts that contain get right of entry to to particular person private information would have to supply signed affidavits mentioning they don’t rule afoul of prohibitions on ties to nations of outrage.
Violations may lead to civil consequences equivalent to two times the worth of the contracts and 5 years of being ineligible to search different contracts.
Collins’ proposal would want to transparent the Rules Committee prior to it will move to the whole Senate. A identical invoice (HB 1355) has been filed within the House.
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