Overview
- A federal appeals panel lifted a prior suspension, allowing Florida to implement the 2023 law limiting real estate purchases by nationals of China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Syria.
- The statute bars non‑citizens who are not permanent residents from buying property within designated zones near military installations, with prohibition radii generally ranging from five to ten miles depending on status and nationality.
- Limited exceptions permit certain visa holders or asylum applicants to purchase a single residential property of up to two acres located more than five miles from military sites.
- An earlier 11th Circuit panel in 2024 had blocked enforcement after four Chinese citizens sued, arguing the law conflicted with federal law.
- Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier hailed the ruling as a security win targeting Chinese Communist Party‑linked land purchases, while the ACLU criticized the law as discriminatory and cautioned about further legal challenges and copycat measures.