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Appeals Court Restores Enforcement of Florida’s SB 264 Land-Purchase Restrictions

The ruling reverses a 2024 pause ordered after Chinese plaintiffs challenged the statute.

Overview

  • Florida may again enforce SB 264 while litigation continues in the Eleventh Circuit.
  • the law restricts non‑citizens and non‑permanent residents from China, Cuba, Venezuela, Iran, North Korea, Russia and Syria from buying property in designated zones near military and other critical sites.
  • Limited exceptions allow eligible visa holders and some asylum applicants to buy one home of up to two acres located more than five miles from military installations.
  • Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier hailed the decision as a national‑security victory as the ACLU criticized the policy as discriminatory and harmful to immigrants’ rights.
  • Passed in 2023 under Gov. Ron DeSantis, the measure now reintroduces uncertainty for real‑estate transactions and is expected to prompt further legal challenges.