03/03/2023

Florida Bill Would Require Bloggers Who Write About Governor to Register With The State

A similar piece of legislation was passed in Russia in 2014

Florida Sen. Jason Brodeur (R-Lake Mary) wants bloggers who write about Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and other members of the Florida executive cabinet or legislature to register with the state or face fines.

Brodeur's proposal, Senate Bill 1316: Information Dissemination, would require any blogger writing about government officials to register with the Florida Office of Legislative Services or the Commission on Ethics.

In the bill, Brodeur wrote that those who write "an article, a story or a series of stories," about "the Governor, the Lieutenant Governor, a Cabinet officer or any member of the Legislature," and receives or will receive payment for doing so, must register with state offices within five days after the publication of an article that mentions an elected state official. In 2014, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a similar law into effect.

Please select this link to read the complete article from WFLA-8 NBC.