The Florida Senate on Tuesday unanimously approved a proposal intended to prohibit the sale of agricultural land and property within 20 miles of military bases to interests tied to the Chinese government or other nations on a list of “countries of concern.”
A priority of Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson, the proposal (SB 264) also would affect government contracts that involve access to personal information and prevent agencies from entering such contracts with entities tied to countries of concern.
“In our world today, it is a complex powder keg and we do have to protect our land, because it is of strategic value — our farmland and our real property,” Senate bill sponsor Jay Collins, R-Tampa, said.
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While China is the primary focus of Collins’ proposal, other countries of concern are Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela, and Syria.
People or entities that owned agricultural land before July 1 would not have to give up the property, but they would be prevented from expanding their acreage.
Sen. Jason Pizzo, D-Hollywood, said the bill is more about “messaging” and will need to be strengthened in the 2024 legislative session.
“There’s too many loopholes, and I can get around it 50 different ways,” Pizzo said. A similar House bill (HB 1355) is slated to go before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.
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