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.