Florida Senate - 2023 SB 924



By Senator Berman





26-00723A-23 2023924__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to the purchase or acquisition of real
3 property and strategic assets by the People’s Republic
4 of China; creating s. 692.203, F.S.; providing
5 definitions; prohibiting the People’s Republic of
6 China from purchasing or acquiring certain real
7 property and strategic assets in this state; providing
8 a directive to the Division of Law Revision to create
9 part III of ch. 692, F.S., entitled “Conveyances to
10 Foreign Entities”; providing an effective date.
11
12 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
13
14 Section 1. Section 692.203, Florida Statutes, is created to
15 read:
16 692.203 Purchase or acquisition of real property and
17 strategic assets by the People’s Republic of China prohibited.-
18 (1) As used in this section, the term:
19 (a) “Chinese Communist Party” means all agencies,
20 institutions, and instrumentalities of the Chinese Communist
21 Party.
22 (b) “Company or development” means a sole proprietorship,
23 organization, association, corporation, partnership, trust,
24 venture, group, subgroup, or any other entity or organization or
25 its subsidiary or affiliate that exists for profit making
26 purposes or to otherwise secure economic advantage.
27 (c) “Military base” means any base, camp, post, facility,
28 station, yard, range, or other activity under the jurisdiction
29 of the United States Secretary of Defense, the secretary of a
30 military department, or the Governor or Adjutant General of
31 Florida.
32 (d) “People’s Republic of China” includes all agencies,
33 institutions, instrumentalities, and political subdivisions of
34 the People’s Republic of China.
35 (e) “Real property” means land and any buildings, fixtures,
36 and other improvements to such land.
37 (f) “Strategic assets” means water treatment facilities,
38 power plants, emergency operation centers, telecommunication
39 towers and facilities, law enforcement facilities, and other
40 structures used for similar purposes or deemed strategic by the
41 state.
42 (2) Notwithstanding any other law, beginning July 1, 2023,
43 any company or development owned or controlled by a company that
44 is owned, in whole or in part, by, or is a subsidiary of, a
45 company that is owned by the People’s Republic of China or the
46 Chinese Communist Party or whose principal place of business is
47 located within the People’s Republic of China, or any
48 intermediary acting on behalf of such company or development,
49 may not:
50 (a) Purchase or acquire any real property or strategic
51 assets located within 50 miles of a military base in this state;
52 (b) Purchase or acquire any real property or strategic
53 assets located within 50 miles of strategic assets in this
54 state; or
55 (c) Purchase more than 50 acres of agricultural land within
56 the state, including any contiguous agricultural land that
57 equals more than 50 acres in total.
58 Section 2. The Division of Law Revision is directed to
59 create part III of chapter 692, Florida Statutes, consisting of
60 s. 692.203, Florida Statutes, to be entitled “Conveyances to
61 Foreign Entities.”
62 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2023.