A New Florida Bill Forbids Chinese Citizens from Buying Land in Florida
SB 264 Presents American Citizens With a Valuable Lesson
(Photo by Giorgio VIERA / AFP)
This past May, Florida Governor, Ron DeSantis passed legislation aimed at restricting Chinese influence in Florida. The series of bills that he signed are meant to “counteract” what he describes as “the malign influence of the Chinese Community party in the state of Florida.”
Senate Bill 264, restricts Chinese nationals from purchasing land in Florida unless they are American citizens or permanent residents. Chinese citizens with non-tourist visas, would be limited to buying fewer than two acres of land that is at least five miles away from any military institutions.
The legislation will prohibit the sale of property located within 10 miles of military bases and other critical infrastructures such as: airports, seaports, water treatment facilities, and power plants to interest tied to the Chinese government or other foreign countries of concern.
The foreign countries that are deemed of concern are Iran, North Korea, Russia, Syria, Venezuela, China, and Cuba. The bill is set to take effect on July 1, 2023.
Avril D. Haines, the Director of National Intelligence, recently presented to the senate committee and voiced, “The People’s Republic of China is increasingly challenging the US economically, technologically, politically, and militarily, and it remains our unparalleled priority.”
China has become the United States greatest threat. DeSantis and his administration are mindful of the perilousness influence that the Chinese Communist Party can have in Florida.
One lesson that US citizens can extract from this chain of events, is consciousness. SB 264 will be enacted because they are aware of the potential danger from foreign threats. Perhaps, we as citizens, should be more cognizant of domestic threats.
According to the Common Wealth Fund, “People in the United States experience the worst health outcomes overall of any high-income nation. Americans are more likely to die younger, and from avoidable causes, than residents of peer countries.”
Yearly, US farmers use roughly a billion pounds of chemicals on crops. “More than 90% of Americans have pesticides or their byproducts in their bodies, mostly from eating conventionally grown fruits and vegetables,” according to The Nation.
Personally, I believe that the first step to change is having awareness. With greater consciousness, we will be well informed and in a position to make better decisions in how we live. Therefore, we can decide how we will combat our domestic hazards which have plagued our way of life in America.