Jacob Ogles
Florida lawmakers have sent a controversial social media bill to Gov. Ron DeSantis for his signature. That starts the clock on a seven-day period for the Governor to sign the bill, veto it or let it become law without his signature.
But the move comes as DeSantis continues to raise constitutionality questions, and parents’ groups demand he veto the legislation.
The Legislature passed a bill (HB 1) that would bar anyone under age 16 from opening or keeping a social media account on platforms with addictive features.
Speaker Paul Renner, who made the bill a top priority this Legislative Session, spotlighted broad support from law enforcement groups, including the Florida Police Chiefs Association, Florida Sheriffs Association, the Fraternal Order of Police Florida State Lodge and Florida Police Benevolent Association.
It also has backing from a number of individual Sheriffs and prosecutors, including Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri. Stand With Parkland, founded by families impacted by the 2018 Marjory Stoneman Douglas High shooting, also endorsed the bill.
“Grateful for the overwhelming support of Florida’s law enforcement community,” Renner posted on X. “There’s no more important issue than the protection of our children.”
But other groups have demanded DeSantis hit the brakes on the bill. The Florida PTA launched a letter-writing campaign to encourage the Governor to deploy his veto pen.
“To his credit, Governor Ron DeSantis has expressed skepticism about the bill, noting both its erosion of the very parental rights the Legislature has been so quick to promote in recent years and its potential to trigger a constitutional challenge over free speech, privacy rights, and interstate commerce,” reads a call to action from the state’s largest parent organization.
Indeed, DeSantis has continued to highlight concerns about whether the bill could meet legal muster in court, and repeated those comments even after the Legislature passed a final version. As lawmakers were preparing to put the bill on his desk, he suggested there needs to be a way for parents of 14- and 15-year-olds to consent to their children using social media.
Language in the Senate has been narrowed since the start of Session. The final bill would require third-party verification and bar youths under age 16, but only for platforms on which 10% of young users access the service for more than two hours per week on average.
Of note, the Legislature can override a veto with a two-thirds vote in each chamber. The social media bill passed in the House by a 108-7 margin, and a Republican supermajority could nix such an action by the Governor. But it passed by only a 23-14 margin in the Senate, making an override in the upper chamber unlikely.
18 comments
JD
February 23, 2024 at 5:45 pm
The Legislative isn’t afraid of the big bad wolf anymore it appears.
Does the Govenor have the sand to make a stand?
Dont Say FLA
February 26, 2024 at 8:41 am
They know what happened in the shade after Rhonda was exempted from Florida’s Sunshine laws.
Rhonda, Florida’s own impotent, 3 year lame duck
Eduardo Burkhart
February 23, 2024 at 5:48 pm
Suggestion for GA to consult the FL Supreme Court and Attorney General before you sign this Bill due legal issues.
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" American
February 23, 2024 at 6:51 pm
Good evening Sage Floridians,
We’ve received 3 letters so far from this anonymous PTA Group and these letters are from very bad parents who have already mutulated their childerns genetilla (against their Kiddies will) and are trying to recrute other parents to join them in HEII for ever and ever Amen.
This is Sage Legislation Indeed which will save the lives of Florida’s precious childern regardless of what these 3 letter-writing horriable parents write in their letters.
Thank you Sage Floridians,
Earl Pitts American
Degeneracy of christians
February 24, 2024 at 3:59 am
“mutulated their childerns genetilla”
This is a perfect example of Christianity, thank you, Earl:
Unfamiliar with the language or its construct.
Focused on children’s genitalia.
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" American
February 24, 2024 at 9:03 am
Chastized for your lame use of Evil Lefty Talking Points in a non-sensecial rant designed to damage the World-Wide Brand that is Me; Earl Pitts American. Your weapons of “Dook 4 Brains Leftism” will fall harmless at Earls Feet.
Chastized.
EPA
Rick Whitaker
February 27, 2024 at 10:20 am
earl, explain why you are obsessed with children’s gentelia? i bet you love these kinds of questions. you never answer when posters ask you things you don’t want law enforcement to know about. why are you afraid of going to jail? in jail you can get your sphincter massaged daily.
Dont Say FLA
February 24, 2024 at 1:47 pm
But pops, you and my mama had my original genitals mutilated.
Some guy snipped the protective cover off it because that’s fashionable in some crowds.
I think it’s at least partially why I decided to identify as a female
I was made less of a man by my parents when I had zero say in it, and now I am a woman.
Hung Wiil
February 23, 2024 at 7:00 pm
Hopefully, Heavy D will veto this ridiculous law.
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" American
February 23, 2024 at 7:13 pm
Good evening Hung,
Rather than chastizing you, I Earl Pitts American, am going to send you one of the Commenerative Sharpie Markers which Ron “The Ronald” DeSantis uses to sign this Sage Legislation into Florida Law.
Imagion how proud you and your family will be.
Thank you Hung,
Earl Pitts American
Hung Wiil
February 23, 2024 at 10:34 pm
But when he vetoes it, you’ll post your apology right?
Degeneracy of christians
February 24, 2024 at 4:01 am
Christina Pooshaw will NOT apologize.
She is christian and thus, unredeemable.
Earl Pitts "Sage Political Expert Emeritas" American
February 24, 2024 at 9:07 am
Stop with your non-sensical babaling already and just be glad I, Earl Pitts Anerican, like you which is why I did not chastize you or impose a masturbation ban on you.
Thanks Hung,
Earl Pitts American
The string quartet on the Titanic
February 24, 2024 at 11:15 am
Measles!
You poor slobs!
Broward County, Florida, has recorded its seventh measles case, but the state’s top doctor still is not encouraging vaccination or quarantine for those who have been exposed. Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo’s decision to leave the matter up to parents has drawn fire from experts who say isolation is the standard protocol to stop the potentially deadly disease from spreading further. “Measles is the most infectious pathogen in humans that we know of,” Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama, told NBC News.
We Hate Health In florida
February 24, 2024 at 11:16 am
Waving goodbye to the suicide-cult of anti science, dangerous florida
Dont Say FLA
February 24, 2024 at 1:45 pm
The 3 week old dead fish is on Rhonda’s desk. Will he obligingly call it rotten as a show of him still having any say in anything despite his hidden expenditures of State of Florida’s money on whatever he spent it on and the legislators know what he spent it on?
Legislators: “Here’s a 3 week old dead fish. Say it smells bad and people will have faith in you, potentially restoring you from Flop Gov to Top Gov
The scheming. It is just so blatant. Mean Girls scheme better than this.
Job Killer
February 26, 2024 at 10:35 am
It’s honestly surprising law enforcement supports this bill since they typically lobby for self interests rather than the public interest.
If this bill passes, it will put some police out of work. You know the ones. The ones chatting on the interwebs, presenting themselves as sexy 15 year olds looking for a sugar daddy who is then locked away for a very long time for going to a particular gas station, and their lock away is probably frequently for very good reason.
That said, child predators being sickos who should be locked away, I bet at least some desperate guys with tiny pricks are haplessly lured by manipulative LEO chatters who definitely are NOT children and are definitely looking to make their man date mandate (but do NOT call it a “quota”).
Patsy Shafchuk
February 26, 2024 at 5:34 pm
If we’re always protecting children, why don’t you folks support the extension of the Child Tax Credit, or SNAP, or WIC? Couldn’t we think about protecting children from hunger and infectious disease? Could we pay their parents a living wage so they don’t have to sleep in a car? Couldn’t we support a president, who like DeSantis said, didn’t run up a seven trillion dollar deficit to create tax breaks for people who have more money than some countries? Couldn’t we?
Until that happens, all your concern for children is a lie.
Comments are closed.