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Florida Republicans Introduce Russia-Like Anti-Speech Law

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In 2014, Vladimir Putin signed a new law requiring popular bloggers to register with the Kremlin. If a blogger had more than 3,000 readers, they would have to register. This made tracking Putin’s critics online easier, and served to shut up anyone who could grow their following. Currently, officials who speak out against Putin’s war on Ukraine often end up dead. Those looking to counter Putin’s propaganda are left fearing for their lives.

Almost 9 years later, Republicans in Florida have tried to pass a similar bill, though, in some ways, it may actually be worse. From the state with bare bookshelves in classrooms, a “Don’t Say Gay” law, anti-choice laws, and anti-transgender laws criticized as “genocidal” comes a law made to stifle critics of Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ government. The law would require all bloggers who write about DeSantis and other elected officials to register with the state, file monthly reports, and face fines for as much as $25/day if they refuse to do so.

Ron DeSantis is reportedly considering a 2024 presidential run, but will unbridled authoritarianism really interest voters?

Silencing “Bloggers”

State Senator Jason Brodeur (R-FL) introduced SB 1316, a bill to modify an existing law to force bloggers who write about Florida politicians to report on their articles monthly. The bill defines a blog as, “a website or webpage that hosts any blogger and is frequently updated with opinion, commentary, or business content,” and specifies that this does not include websites associated with newspapers. The law stipulates that this will apply to bloggers who are compensated for their writing, either financially or though products received. That could mean influencers could count as “bloggers.” Imagine being fined for an Instagram reel.

Bloggers will have to submit monthly reports if they published any articles about elected officials in Florida. If they don’t, they can be fined $25/day for each report, and up to $2,500 per report.

A Long Line of Authoritarianism

“It’s hard to imagine a proposal that would be more violative of the First Amendment. We don’t register journalists. People who write cannot be forced to register.”

– Ron Kuby, New York-based civil rights lawyer via NBC News

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made a request of his legislature for anti-defamation bills. He, like Trump, especially wanted to erode protections for the press around libel. Trump himself stated that he’d prefer that suing for libel was easier, especially after the “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House” book by Michael Wolff. DeSantis, similarly, seems to want to limit press freedoms.

The DeSantis administration has come under fire for laws that were unconstitutional, even blocked by judges, like his “Stop WOKE Act,” which tried to change how universities could teach topics like racism. Florida also passed the so-called “don’t say gay” bill, which is essentially a gag order on anything LGBTQ-related in Florida schools. Now, teachers say they can’t even get books for their classrooms until they’re approved, leading to viral photos of empty bookshelves. Obviously, DeSantis would rather people don’t see or talk about this. The state is, of course, one that has also moved to limit bodily autonomy rights, targeting women and the right to choose. They’ve also attempted to get involved with transgender people’s healthcare, including blocking it. They’re even going so far as to attempt to block teachers from asking students their pronouns.

The laws in Florida are starting to look authoritarian enough to make Putin blush, but DeSantis isn’t showing any sign of stopping. In fact, he may be targeting the White House.

It’s Unconstitutional… for Now

The favors of the Supreme Court can change with just a single election. Trump, through some political chicanery, was able to appoint three Supreme Court justices, all far-right leaning. For women, the results have been disastrous, with basic bodily autonomy completely eroded. DeSantis is a likely contender for the 2024 presidency. He won’t carry the same disastrous presidential history as Trump, and could actually win. With that, he may be able to shape the nation more than ever. That shape looks incredibly authoritarian. It could involve his U.S. version of Russia’s “Gay Propaganda” law, Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” law going nationwide. It could also involve Russia’s anti-blogging laws making their way out of Florida and to the rest of the United States.

Currently, this law has little hope of passing and surviving judicial review. That could change after 2024, but in 2023, we’re safely able to blog about Ron DeSantis, State Senator Jason Brodeur, and any other Florida elected officials. The fourth estate lives on.

For now.

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