Gov. Ron DeSantis wants ban on Chinese investors buying land in Florida

In a speech about environmental strategies in his second term as Florida governor, Ron DeSantis warned Chinese real estate speculators to stay out of the Sunshine State calling the country a ‘hostile nation.’

In a speech on Tuesday, the Republican presidential hopeful said: ‘We don’t want to have holdings by hostile nations. If you look at the Chinese Communist Party, they’ve been very active throughout the Western Hemisphere in gobbling up land and investing in different things.’

While in Florida, foreign investors owned 5.7 percent of privately owned farmland, according to the US Department of Agriculture. 

The 2022 study found that Florida was most popular with Brazilian, Mexican and Colombian investors. Between 2021 and 2022, the state also saw a rising number of Canadian investors. 

DeSantis shares similar views to countries, such as New Zealand, Australia, and Canada, which have imposed taxes on foreigner buyers purchasing property.

New Zealand, where Chinese investment has been blamed for a huge spike in home property prices, now charges a 15 percent tax to non-resident buyers. 

During his speech, DeSantis went on to say that under his governorship, the state Legislature has passed laws forbidding the China-backed Confucius Institutes from funding research at state colleges. 

The Republican argued that China’s funding efforts are part of a plan to ‘bring propaganda’ to Florida. 

Source of data and images: dailymail