Florida Governor Ron DeSantis Scraps Bill That Would Mandate Bloggers to Register With the Government
Jose Nino
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Florida State Senator Jason Brodeur’s “Information Dissemination” bill that would mandate bloggers who write about politicians for money to register with the government was effectively struck down by Governor Ron DeSantis.
The Florida governor stressed that he has never and would never back such a measure.
Brodeur’s bill would mandate any individual who gets paid to blog about the Governor, the Cabinet, the Attorney General, and all members of the state legislature to register with the state government within five days of making the post. These bloggers would be compelled to reveal who paid them and how much in terms of payment they received. From there, bloggers would have to submit monthly reports on the 10th day of each calendar month.
During a press conference following his annual State of the State address, DeSantis announced his opposition to the bill, thereby capsizing this bill.
“Every person in the legislature can file bills. I see these people filing bills and there are these articles with my face on the article, ‘bloggers are going to have to register with the state,’ attributing it to me,” declared DeSantis.
“That’s not anything I’ve ever supported, I don’t support. I’ve been very clear on what we are doing.” DeSantis should receive praise on this occasion.
There’s a strong tendency for politicians to use state power in an irrational manner. Bloggers are some of the most disruptive, at least in a positive way, actors in politics. Without their work, the political class nationwide would be able to get away with murder on a host of issues.
For this reason, blogger’s free speech rights should be defended no matter the circumstances. To his credit, DeSantis gets the importance of preserving these rights.
Hopefully, other Republican governors follow in DeSantis’ footsteps and turn their states into free speech sanctuaries.
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