Ron DeSantis Bars Xi Jinping's 'Agents,' Citizens From Any 'Country Of Concern' From Buying Land In Florida

Ron DeSantis, the Governor of Florida, signed several bills on Monday to restrict nationals from "China and other hostile foreign nations" from buying land in the Sunshine State.

What Happened: DeSantis signed bills SB 264, SB 846, and SB 258 into law to combat corporate espionage and higher education subterfuge by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Xi Jinping's agents.

"I'm proud to sign this legislation to stop the purchase of our farmland and land near our military bases and critical infrastructure by Chinese agents, to stop sensitive digital data from being stored in China, and to stop CCP influence in our education system from grade school to grad school. We are following through on our commitment to crack down on Communist China,” said DeSantis in a statement.

SB 264 — also called ‘Interests of Foreign Countries’ — prohibits "governmental entities from contracting with foreign countries and entities of concern and restricts conveyances of agricultural lands and other interests in real property to foreign principals," including China and other entities and individuals affiliated with Beijing. According to the new legislation, Chinese citizens holding non-tourist visas will be allowed to purchase individual plots of land smaller than two acres and located at least five miles from military installations, according to WOKV.

SB 864 — also known as ‘Agreements of Educational Entities with Foreign Entities’ — prohibits state colleges and universities from accepting any gifts “in their official capacities” from colleges or universities based in countries of concern.

See Also: Xi Jinping’s Envoy Calls For Stability In US-China Relations To ‘Prevent Any Accidents’

Another bill, SB 258, mandates the Department of Management Services "to create a list of prohibited applications owned by a foreign principal or foreign countries of concern, including China, which present a cybersecurity and data privacy risk."

"Florida is taking action to stand against the United States' greatest geopolitical threat — the Chinese Communist Party," DeSantis added in the statement.

Commissioner Wilton Simpson, added in the statement, "China and other hostile foreign nations control hundreds of thousands of acres of critical agricultural lands in the U.S., leaving our food supply and our national security interests at risk. Restricting China and other hostile foreign nations from controlling Florida's agricultural land and lands near critical infrastructure facilities protects our state, provides long-term stability, and preserves our economic freedom."

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