Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced the launch of the SecureFlorida Portal, where foreign principals from foreign countries of concern must register property as required by Florida Statutes.
These registration requirements for foreign principals were created by Senate Bill 264—signed by Governor DeSantis in May as part of the strongest legislation in the nation counteracting the malign influence of the People’s Republic of China and other countries of concern.
Section 692.204 limits the ability of individuals and businesses affiliated with the People’s Republic of China or the Chinese Communist Party to acquire real property in Florida and requires the registration of all real property owned within the state.
Read: Can Florida Gov. DeSantis Make A Comeback Before The First Votes Are Cast?
Under section 692.203, foreign principals from other countries of concern may acquire property located within 10 miles of a military installation or critical infrastructure facility only under limited circumstances and must register such property with FloridaCommerce.
“Protecting Floridians and Florida’s infrastructure from agents like the Chinese Communist Party and other foreign adversaries is important to our state’s security,” said Governor Ron DeSantis. “I am proud to have signed the strongest legislation in the nation to fight back against foreign malign influence.”
If a foreign principal owned or acquired an interest in real property before July 1, 2023, then the foreign principal must register the property by December 31, 2023. A foreign principal that fails to timely file a registration with FloridaCommerce is subject to a civil penalty of $1,000 for each day the registration is late. Entities and property owners can register a property through the SecureFlorida portal here.
FloridaCommerce will host a technical assistance webinar on Tuesday, November 21, 2023, at 11 a.m. to provide an instructional walkthrough of the portal. Register for the webinar here.
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