Florida bill would require bloggers to register before writing about DeSantis

Bloggers who write about Florida Gov. would be required to register with the state as a result of a bill that was introduced this week by a Republican senator. Ron DeSantis (R. Fla.), his Cabinet officers, and members of Florida’s legislature must register with the state.

Bloggers who are paid for an online article about an elected state official would need to register with either the Florida Office of Legislative Services, or the Commission on Ethics. However, this requirement does not apply to websites of newspapers and similar sites.

The bill, which was introduced by Republican state Senator Jason Brodeur, states that a blogger who posts to a blog about an elect state officer will be compensated.

Bloggers who post additional posts on elected state officials will need to file monthly reports that detail where, when, and by whom they were published. They also have to report the amount of compensation they received. Failure to report could result in fines.

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The proposed “Information Dissemination” bill covers elected state officers such as the Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Cabinet officer or any member.

The bill defines a blog as “a website or webpage that hosts any bloggers and is frequently updated in opinion, commentary or business content”. A blog post is “an individual webpage on the blog which contains an article or a story or a series.”

The Hill reached out to Governor’s Office for Comment.