Florida Senate - 2025                                     SB 528
       
       
        
       By Senator Avila
       
       
       
       
       
       39-00607-25                                            2025528__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to political polls; creating s.
    3         106.146, F.S.; defining the term “political poll”;
    4         requiring that political polls contain a specified
    5         phrase; specifying requirements for providing or
    6         including such phrase; providing criminal penalties;
    7         defining the term “person”; providing an effective
    8         date.
    9          
   10  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   11  
   12         Section 1. Section 106.146, Florida Statutes, is created to
   13  read:
   14         106.146 Requirements for political polls.—
   15         (1) As used in this section, the term “political poll”
   16  means a sampling or collection of responses to questions on a
   17  political subject which are taken from a selected or random
   18  group of persons or voters for the purpose of analysis.
   19         (2) A political poll conducted within this state,
   20  regardless of whether such poll is conducted by telephone call,
   21  text message, or e-mail, must contain the phrase “Sponsored and
   22  paid for by,” followed by the name of the persons or
   23  organizations sponsoring and paying for the political poll. If
   24  the political poll is conducted by:
   25         (a) A telephone call, the phrase must be provided at the
   26  beginning of the call.
   27         (b) A text message, the text message must include the
   28  phrase at the beginning of the text message.
   29         (c) An e-mail, the e-mail must include the phrase in bold
   30  type with a font size of at least 12 points.
   31         (3)(a) A person who willfully violates subsection (2)
   32  commits a misdemeanor of the first degree, punishable as
   33  provided in s. 775.082 or s. 775.083.
   34         (b) For purposes of paragraph (a), the term “person”
   35  includes any individual or organization conducting a political
   36  poll; any candidate, any officer of any political committee,
   37  affiliated party committee, or political party executive
   38  committee; any officer, partner, attorney, or other
   39  representative of a corporation, partnership, or other business
   40  entity; and any agent or other person acting on behalf of any
   41  candidate, political committee, affiliated party committee,
   42  political party executive committee, or corporation,
   43  partnership, or other business entity.
   44         Section 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025.