Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier announced a “big win” for Florida this week as the US Court of Appeals defended a law preventing ownership of Florida land by Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials.
“Today we won big at the US Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit, defending our law preventing ownership of Florida land by the Chinese Communist Party. Thanks to Senior Deputy Solicitor General Forrester and Assistant Solicitor General Schenck for securing a huge win for FL!” Uthmeier shared on X.
In 2023, Florida passed a law, Senate Bill 264, that prohibits anyone from a “country of concern” from purchasing or owning land in the state.
The law primarily targets Chinese nationals not lawfully residing in the U.S. from owning real property in Florida, with specific exceptions for certain residential properties and limited indirect interests.
Senate Bill 264 also restricts citizens from the Russian Federation, Islamic Republic of Iran, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Republic of Cuba, Syrian Arab Republic, and the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro from owning certain types of property, particularly agricultural land and property near military installations or critical infrastructure.
Florida politicians have been adamant about their intentions to keep CCP influence out of the state. Sen. Rick Scott (R) has headed multiple bills designed to expose CCP officials’ ownership of U.S. property and bar them from continuing to purchase more.
“The United States is facing threats from adversaries around the world who want to destroy our way of life. Xi and the Communist Chinese Party have blatantly spied on the United States, stolen our research and intellectual data, and attempted to infiltrate the inner workings of government to the regime’s interests,” Scott said in a press conference, announcing his CCP Influence Act.
