Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) made remarks in Jerusalem, Israel ahead of signing HB 269. The legislation will provide law enforcement with more resources to punish perpetrators of antisemitic incidents.
DeSantis has been an avid supporter of Israel since his initial campaign for governor in 2018. Since then he has received the Zionist Hero Award and the Champion of Israel award in 2019 and 2021. This has subsequently strengthened the governor's relationship with the nation. Last year during the Surfside building collapse, Israel sent the IDF to Florida and called the governor instead of President Joe Biden (D).
HB 269 builds upon Governor DeSantis’ attempts to protect the free exercise of religion in Florida by:
- Prohibiting a person from intentionally dumping litter onto private property for the purpose of intimidating or threatening the owner, resident, or invitee of such property;
- Prohibiting a person from willfully and maliciously harassing, threatening, or intimidating another person based on the person's wearing or displaying of any indicia relating to any religious or ethnic heritage;
- Creating a new prohibition against displaying or projecting, using any medium, an image onto a building, structure, or other property without the written consent of the owner of the building, structure, or property;
- Creating a new trespass offense if a person who is not authorized, licensed, or invited willfully enters the campus of a state college or university for the purpose of threatening or intimidating another person, and is warned by the institution to depart and refuses to do so; and
- Prohibiting a person from willfully and maliciously interrupting or disturbing any assembly of people met for the purpose of acknowledging the death of an individual.
