News/Commentary

‘We do not want the CCP in the Sunshine state’: DeSantis puts foot down on China land grabs

May 6, 2023 | | Print Article

Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.) just wrapped up the Florida legislature session and he is excited about banning communist China from owning property in his state, making that abundantly clear by declaring that “We do not want the CCP in the Sunshine State.”

After the Legislature ended its fruitful session, DeSantis tweeted, “Florida will not allow the CCP to purchase farmland or land near our critical infrastructure. We do not want the CCP in the Sunshine State.”

“I think ours has been the most ambitious of anywhere in the country and I think it’s likely to be something that is a model for other states to follow … soon,” DeSantis told reporters in Tallahassee.

The Florida Senate and House agreed on legislation that cracks down on China and other hostile nations buying land near military bases and critical infrastructure on Thursday evening, with the bill going back and forth between the two legislative bodies until the final hours of the legislative session.

The bill blocks enemy foreign countries and their agents from owning farmland or property within 10 miles of military installations and critical infrastructure facilities. A move that should create a buffer zone that stops surveillance.

DeSantis has been very concerned about the purchase of “farmland in the United States” and rightly so.

“I view our food production as a national security issue. It’s obviously very important for our economy here in Florida and in many other parts of the United States, but it is a security issue,” he said.

He also correctly noted the military threat posed by the communist Chinese buying up land.

“We also understand there may be interest in them getting stuff near military bases,” DeSantis said. “The CCP actually has, in different parts of this country, their own police stations where they surveil, basically, Chinese nationals who are here going to school or whatnot.”

“And this has been allowed to happen on U.S. soil. It’s absolutely outrageous,” he added.

The final version of the bill sailed through the House with a bipartisan vote of 95 to 17.

House Democratic Leader Fentrice Driskell opposed the bill, objecting to a potentially “overbroad … lack of definitions” that could leave Florida open to discrimination claims against “folks of Chinese origin,” according to Florida Politics.

The bill takes direct aim at countries such as China, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, Syria, Cuba, and North Korea, preventing them from doing business with Florida’s government. All are enemies of the United States and under the thumb of despots.

Those who wish to do business in Florida will have to attest to not being controlled by hostile foreign regimes, and governmental agencies would be blocked from soliciting bids or negotiations from the aforementioned countries by year’s end. Contracts could not be renewed with those companies after July 1, 2025.

The bill covers even more good stuff. It mandates that the offsite storage of certain personal medical information must be done within the continental United States, a territory of the United States, or in Canada.

The bill also enhances penalties for extortion by a “foreign agent who acts with the intent of benefiting a country of concern,” making the crime a first-degree felony with a potential 30-year prison term as punishment.

DeSantis called for this measure ahead of the legislative session. In January, the governor vowed a ban “as broad as possible” against land purchases and offered scenarios highlighting the danger.

“Just imagine, not that they would sell it here in The Villages, but just imagine that the (Chinese Communist Party) had a company buying subdivisions in the Villages,” DeSantis stated. “Would you want that to be happening? Of course not. You don’t want them buying farmland, controlling our food supply. You don’t want them near military bases. But do you want them building a resort in Florida either? I don’t.”

“If you look at the Chinese Communist Party, they’ve been very active throughout the Western Hemisphere in gobbling up land and investing in different things,” he also said at a previous presser according to Florida Politics.

“And, you know, when they have interests that are opposed to ours, and you’ve seen how they’ve wielded their authority — especially with President Xi (Jinping), who’s taken a much more Marxist-Leninist turn since he’s been ruling China — that is not in the best interests of Florida to have the Chinese Communist Party owning farmland, owning land close to military bases,” DeSantis asserted.

Get the latest BPR news delivered free to your inbox daily. SIGN UP HERE

Latest posts by Terresa Monroe-Hamilton (see all)

Comment

We have no tolerance for comments containing violence, racism, profanity, vulgarity, doxing, or discourteous behavior. If a comment is spam, instead of replying to it please click the ∨ icon below and to the right of that comment. Thank you for partnering with us to maintain fruitful conversation.

Latest Articles