DeSantis Signs New Bill To Limit Chinese Land Ownership, TikTok Access at Schools

• Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signs new bill limiting Chinese land ownership, and TikTok use at schools
• Several Chinese groups have criticized the bill, arguing that it would lead to discrimination
• The bill would bar affected parties and individuals from purchasing farmland and property within 10 miles of a military installation or critical infrastructure facility

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a new bill that limits Chinese land ownership in the United States and the use of TikTok at schools despite criticism from some Asian groups who have argued that it would lead to discrimination.

The final bill would prevent the foreign countries listed under its policy and their officers from purchasing farmland and property within 10 miles of a military installation or critical infrastructure facility.

Florida's New Land Ownership Bill

Furthermore, DeSantis' new bill would not allow anyone connected with the Chinese government or the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) to buy real estate in Florida. As per USA Today, it would also bar anyone considered "domiciled" in China and not a United States citizen or lawful permanent resident.

In a statement during a Monday press conference, DeSantis said that the bill's passing marks the moment that Florida was "really leading the nation in terms of what we're doing to stop the influence of the Chinese Communist Party."

Furthermore, lawmakers added an exception to the bill for non-tourist Visa holders. This is so long as they buy one real estate property that is not within five miles of one of these aforementioned installations and is not larger than two acres.

DeSantis added that they made the bill to ensure that agricultural land is not compromised by CCP influence. He said that it ensures that the Chinese government or any foreign adversary will not compromise seaports, airports, power plants, telecom systems, and other critical infrastructure.

The law also prohibits specific applications that are "created, maintained, or owned by a foreign principal" and are engaged in activities that create cybersecurity threats. According to the South China Morning Post, this would most likely include TikTok, as lawmakers are still discussing a potential ban on the Chinese-owned app.

Banning TikTok at Schools

The new bill would prevent school students from accessing the affected apps using their devices through a school or government network. This is similar to a ban enforced at the University of Texas at Austin in January.

On Tuesday, the school said that it had blocked TikTok's access on its systems permanently and prohibited students' devices from using the app while they are on the university's wired or wireless networks. This comes as other states have also imposed various restrictions on the Chinese-owned app.

The bill is known as SB 264 and, before its passing, had bipartisan support from state legislators as they echoed concerns over national security. The final vote for the bill in the House was 95-17, and in the Senate was 31-8.

During an interview last year, DeSantis talked about residential real estate ownership by Chinese entities, calling the issue a "huge problem" for the United States, said Yahoo News.