The bill amends sections 770.02 and 770.04 of the Florida Statutes to establish new provisions regarding liability for defamatory statements. It requires that if a defamatory article or broadcast is published online, it must be permanently removed from any website controlled by the publisher within a specified timeframe to limit damages to actual damages only. The bill outlines the timeframes for making corrections, apologies, or retractions based on the frequency of publication, and it specifies that failure to remove defamatory content after receiving notice of its falsity can lead to new liability for the publisher.

Additionally, the bill provides immunity for certain media personnel, including owners and operators of newspapers and broadcasting stations, from liability for defamatory statements made by others, provided they exercise due care to prevent such publications. It also introduces a provision that if a defamatory statement is published online without knowledge of its falsity, and the publisher fails to remove it after being notified of its falsehood, the continued presence of the statement will be treated as a new publication for the purposes of the statute of limitations. The act is set to take effect on July 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
H 667 Filed: 770.02, 770.04
H 667 c1: 770.04