DeSantis signs bills targeting CCP land ownership and higher education influence

Ernesto Sampera contributed to this report.

BROOKSVILLE, Fla. (FLV) – Gov. Ron DeSantis signed multiple bills into law Monday to “combat the influence” of the Chinese Communist Party.

“Today we’re really recognizing the threat and we’re taking action and doing measures that no other state has done at this level,” DeSantis said. “I want to thank the legislature for recognizing that we needed to step up and make things happen.”

One signed bill aims to prohibit Chinese government agencies, businesses and citizens from owning land Florida. The new law would effectively ban the purchase or acquisition of real estate by the People’s Republic of China.

“Our food security is also national security and so we don’t want the CCP in charge of any food production,” DeSantis said.

“We really need to have a unified effort in this country to deter the CCPs ambitions and their influence and part of that is asserting our economic sovereignty,” DeSantis said.

DeSantis said the prohibition in the law is not just limited to farmland, it also includes land within 10 miles of any military installation or any type of critical infrastructure in the state.

Sen. Jay Collins, R-Tampa, and Rep. David Borrero, R-Sweetwater, carried the legislation, which was spearheaded by Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson.

At the press conference, Simpson thanked Collins and Borrero for leading the charge and said they did a great job “not allowing our foreign enemies to buy our agriculture lands.”

“We have to leave things better than we got it and under our Governor’s leadership, and many in this state, we are doing just that,” Collins said during the press conference.

“When it comes to food, we don’t always think about it as a national security issue,” Simpson said.

Simpson said if there was one week with no groceries in stores, there would be “chaos.”

“So when we think about taxing food, when we think about regulating our farmers, when we think about putting burdens on the back of our farmers – that’s the view that we need to look at it through,” Simpson said.

The law also refers to the prohibition of purchasing land by any individual who is “domiciled” in China and is not a U.S. citizen. 

This provision applies directly to a significant portion of the state’s Chinese population, comprising 53,000 individuals or 1.2% of all immigrants in Florida.

It also prohibits a governmental entity from knowingly entering into a contract with an entity that would give access to an individual’s personal identifying information if the government of a “foreign country of concern” has a controlling interest in the entity.

A “foreign country of concern” refers to the People’s Republic of China, the Russian Federation, the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, the Republic of Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolas Maduro and the Syrian Arab Republic.

The legislation also amends certain electronic health record statutes to ensure that health records are physically stored in the continental U.S., U.S. territories, or Canada.

DeSantis signed another bill that prohibits state universities and state colleges from accepting grants from or participating in partnerships or agreements with a college or university based in a foreign country of concern or with a foreign principal unless specified conditions are met.

Rep. Jennifer Canady, R-Lakeland, introduced the legislation in the House while Sen. Bryan Avila, R-Hialeah Gardens, introduced the similar bill in the Senate.

The law also prohibits state colleges and universities and their employees and representatives from soliciting or accepting any gift in their official capacities from a college or university based in a foreign country of concern. 

The law also prohibits the ownership or operation of any private school participating in the state’s school choice scholarship program by a person or entity domiciled in, owned by, or in any way controlled by a foreign country of concern.

“Part of that is because I think the CCP has done a really effective job at identifying some of the soft underbelly of American society, and really focusing on academic infiltration and influence,” DeSantis explained.

DeSantis said China has been able to “expand their influence in academia tremendously,” and part of the reason is because “they’re throwing money around.”

“In Florida, we say not here – not on our watch, and I think that bill is going to be something that’s very very significant,” DeSantis said.

Another signed bill bans apps like TikTok from government devices.

“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,” DeSantis said in a press release.