New DeSantis real estate laws come into effect in July: who can and who cannot buy land in Florida?

In July, the laws regarding who can and cannot own property in Florida will change in accordance with the new DeSantis law. This week, Governor Ron DeSantis signed a law that restricts the ability to purchase real estate in Florida. In early May, DeSantis signed Senate Bill 264 and its accompanying House Bill 1355, which have now become law. These laws significantly limit the purchasing power of officials, investors, and immigrants from "foreign partner countries," such as China, in the Florida real estate market.

Laws prevent the purchase of farmland in Florida and real estate within a 10-mile radius of strategic infrastructure such as seaports, airports, or military bases by government workers from certain countries, primarily China, and agents of the Chinese Communist Party. Some civil rights groups warn that the language of the new laws is too vague and could hinder not only foreign investors and governments from purchasing property in the Sunshine State.

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Chinese citizens are suing Florida over the property ownership ban, calling it "xenophobic." The Florida Asian American Justice Coalition believes that DeSantis's new law is "deeply discriminatory." Both the Florida Asian American Justice Coalition and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association have issued statements in response to the new real estate laws in Florida, labeling DeSantis's new policy as excessive interference.

"The legislative intervention in Section 7 of HB1355 and SB264 is both constitutionally unlawful and deeply discriminatory towards the AAPI community, equating all Chinese individuals without green cards to agents of the CCP," stated the press release from the Florida Asian American Justice Alliance. These laws are shocking. They violate our rights and freedoms and will have a negative impact on our families, communities, and economy.

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Is DeSantis's new real estate legislation illegal? Last year, Florida had its 14th consecutive annual lead in the number of foreign buyers, which the governor called a "huge problem." DeSantis does not claim that the funds entering Florida's real estate market are bad, just the source of purchasing power.

• The Florida Asian American Justice Alliance and the National Asian Pacific American Bar Association stated that due to this discrimination, anti-Chinese real estate laws violate the equal protection provisions of the 14th Amendment to the Constitution, as well as the "Constitution of the State of Florida, the Fair Housing Act, and federal and state regulations that protect civil liberties and equal rights for all immigrants."

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• China
• Russia
• North Korea
• Syria
• Cuba
• Iran

More than a quarter of the population of Palm Beach County consists of immigrants. Lianna Norman keeps up with the latest news in Palm Beach County for The Palm Beach Post. You can contact her at lnorman@pbpost.com. You can follow her news updates on social media @LiannaNorman on Twitter.