Guest Author
Earlier this month, I had the privilege of hosting colleagues in the Legislature, Attorney General James Uthmeier, and policy experts from across the country for a roundtable discussion on the foreign threats facing Florida.
We reviewed actions Florida has already taken to protect our food supply, research institutions, national security, and elections from undue foreign influence. National subject matter experts helped us dig deeper into additional steps we can take as a state to buttress our defenses and preserve the needs of Floridians as our top priority.
This policy conversation is neither isolationist in nature, overblown, nor conspiratorial. It is a dialogue based on real evidence and examples of new threats coming from those with a vested interest in promoting American weakness.
The reality is that foreign countries of concern are already working to influence policymakers. Consider last year’s election in Senate District 13: now-Senator Keith Truenow faced Chinese immigrant Bowen Kou in the 2024 Primary. In a lawsuit following the Primary, Kou admitted in court filings to accepting money from at least one Chinese citizen.
While foreign involvement in Florida elections is offensive and inappropriate on face value, it’s even more troubling when you understand the Chinese Constitution. America’s founding documents outline and enshrine individual liberties. China’s constitution outlines not just freedoms, but also the duties and obligations of Chinese citizens.
Most troubling is Article 54: “Citizens of the People’s Republic of China shall have the obligation to safeguard the security, honor and interests of the motherland …” meaning that Chinese nationals in Florida can be compelled to do anything that is deemed in the interest of the PRC.
Our panelists revealed other methods foreign actors frequently use to influence Florida’s elections – especially related to constitutional amendment ballot initiatives. Jackie Doyer of Americans for Public Trust detailed how Swiss billionaire Hansörg Wyss has poured nearly $250 million into the left-wing dark money behemoth, the Sixteen Thirty Fund. This group has spent over $14.5 million in Florida elections since 2014, money that stems from a man who seeks to “(re)interpret the American Constitution in the light of progressive politics.”
There is more Florida can do to protect our elections from foreign influence. But the fight to protect Florida from foreign threats isn’t a one-dimensional battlefield. Foreign interests are happy to attach themselves to American nonprofits, trade associations, and even retain lobbyists to advocate for their interests in the halls of power across our state.
Those interests reared their heads when my colleague and fellow roundtable participant, Rep. Michael Owen, filed a bill earlier this year requiring foreign agents to register their affiliation with foreign countries of concern. Foreign interests deployed a barrage of lobbyists to argue against the bill, which aimed to increase transparency in the political process. Rep. Owen’s bill died in the Senate, despite passing unanimously in the House of Representatives.
Florida is special. For many, our state is a refuge from oppressive government somewhere else. For others, it’s a reward after a successful career and the realization of years of retirement dreams. Florida’s many strengths also make it a target. Our enemies recognize that if there’s one place to pierce the American Spirit and undermine the American Dream, it’s Florida.
That reality requires policymakers to be watchful and vigilant. It requires us to strike a balance between thwarting foreign schemes to undermine our sovereignty, while protecting the liberties and freedoms of law-abiding Americans. It requires transparency. This year, we passed legislation to prevent charitable organizations in our state from being used as slush funds and front groups for the PRC and foreign countries of concern.
We must continue the policy work to protect our state, as our enemies do not take a break, but rather continuously look for ways to take advantage of our free and open society to do us harm.
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Jenna Persons-Mulicka is a Republican member of the Florida House of Representatives. She represents House District 78, which covers Fort Myers and unincorporated portions of Lee County.
