Florida’s Ron DeSantis signs bills limiting Chinese land ownership, TikTok at schools
- Citing a threat from China, the governor moved to curb real estate purchases by Chinese nationals and ban Chinese apps from school and government servers
- A third bill forbids colleges and universities from accepting gifts from and signing deals with colleges based in ‘foreign countries of concern’
Florida governor and presumptive US presidential candidate Ron DeSantis on Monday signed legislation that would ban the use of TikTok and other Chinese apps on school and government servers and limit land purchases by citizens from China, the latest moves by state authorities aimed at countering perceived threats from Beijing.
The three China-related bills that DeSantis signed, passed with bipartisan support by the Republican-controlled legislature, also include one that prohibits universities in the southeastern coastal state from accepting any funds from China.
“Today, we’re really recognising the threat [from China], and we’re taking action,” DeSantis said in a press briefing.
Other nations labelled as “countries of concern” in the bills are Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria.
The law on prohibited applications orders DeSantis’ administration to create a list of apps “created, maintained, or owned by a foreign principal and that engage in specific activities that endanger cybersecurity; or ... present a security risk in the form of unauthorized access to or temporary unavailability of a public employer’s information technology systems or data.
“This definition will likely include TikTok and WeChat,” according to a summary of the bill by the Florida legislature.
The school said on Tuesday that it is permanently blocking TikTok’s access on its systems, prohibiting devices to use the app on the university’s wired or Wi-fi networks.
Other US states have imposed restrictions on TikTok, which counts more than 150 million Americans as regular users, and US President Joe Biden’s administration banned TikTok on government-issued devices earlier this year.
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The bill DeSantis signed on Florida college and university funding forbids the institutions and their staffs from accepting gifts or grants from, or signing agreements with, colleges based in China or the other targeted countries. It also outlaws faculty exchange programmes and dual-degree programmes.
However, the bans on educational funding and cooperation could be waived by Florida’s university system Board of Governors.
“The [Chinese Communist Party] has done a really, really effective job at identifying some of the soft underbelly of American society and really focusing on academic infiltration and influence,” DeSantis said in his briefing.
By far the biggest effect on Floridians could come from SB 26, also signed Monday, which limits land purchases by residents of countries of concern.
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The bill that he signed on land ownership will prohibit residents and companies of the targeted countries from owning agricultural land, and any land within 16km (10 miles) of a military base or critical infrastructure facility, such as seaports, airports and waste water treatment plants.
Current owners would have to register the property with the state by January 1 or face US$1,000-a-day fines and having the property seized by the state.
The bill singles out people and companies from China by limiting them from owning land anywhere in the state if they’re not a US citizen or permanent resident.
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During the legislative session, hundreds of Chinese-Americans and permanent residents, including university professors and businesspeople, protested against the measure.
They said it would cause people to avoid selling to anyone with a Chinese-sounding name. Under the bill, closing agents could face civil or criminal penalties if they have “actual knowledge” the sale would violate the law.
During a floor debate on SB 264 last week, the Democratic and Republican cosponsors claimed the speakers were bused in from Texas and “do not have our country’s best interests in mind”.
Nearly all of the speakers listed a Florida address, and many were easily verifiable through land-purchase records.
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Lawmakers later amended the bill to allow an exception to the land-buying restrictions.
Anyone, including from China, could buy one residential property up to 2 acres if it is not within 8km (5 miles) of a military base and the land is in the name of someone with a non-tourist visa.
Lawmakers have justified SB 264 by citing reports of Chinese people buying land around the country and federal charges being filed against two men accused of running an unauthorised Chinese police outpost in New York.
Many state legislatures are considering similar restrictions.
