State Senator Jason Brodeur (R) has introduced a bill requiring compensated bloggers who write about the Florida government to register with the Florida Office of Legislative Services or Commission on Ethics.
Senator Brodeur's measure could be seen as an infringement on the First Amendment, but will Gov. Ron DeSantis support it?
Dubbed "Information Dissemination," anyone who blogs about the Governor and his Cabinet, the Attorney General, or any member of the Florida Legislature for money must register within five days of posting.
Afterward, bloggers must make monthly reports "on the 10th day after the end of each calendar month."
Big Brother really could be watching media reporters in the near future.
Additionally, the report must identify who paid the blogger and how much they were paid (to the nearest $10 value).
Similarly, if being paid for multiple posts or during a set time period, how much the blogger is set to receive must be reported after the first initial post.
Moreover, bloggers must report the date their posts are published and on what website their posts are on.
Should any blogger not file a report on time, they will be fined $25 per day late, up to a maximum of $2500 per report.
Do note that this bill refers exclusively to bloggers; newspapers and their websites do not meet these criteria.
While the bill excludes "newspapers and their websites," how could it?
DeSantis and many lawmakers have complained about how the media has covered them, mainly "legacy media," so wouldn't all newpapers and "their websites" be included?
