TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Attorneys for a group of plaintiffs this week urged a federal appeals court to block a new Florida law that restricts people from China from owning property in the state, saying the measure “mandates egregious national-origin discrimination.”
A 57-page brief filed at the 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said the law, approved this spring by Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Republican-led Legislature, is unconstitutional and violates the federal Fair Housing Act. The plaintiffs went to the Atlanta-based appeals court after U.S. District Judge Allen Winsor in August refused to issue a preliminary injunction against the law (SB 264).
“It singles out Chinese people for extraordinary restrictions on the ability to buy a home, even though Congress enacted the FHA (Fair Housing Act) to eradicate discriminatory policies in housing,” the brief said.
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In approving the law, DeSantis and the Legislature pointed to a need to curb the influence of the Chinese government and Chinese Communist Party in Florida.
The overall law affects people from what Florida calls “foreign countries of concern” — China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, Venezuela and Syria. But the lawsuit focuses on part of the measure that specifically puts restrictions on people from China who are not U.S. citizens or permanent U.S. residents.
That part prevents people “domiciled” in China from purchasing property in Florida, with some exceptions. Such people each would be allowed to purchase one residential property up to two acres if the property is not within five miles of a military base and they have non-tourist visas. Three of the plaintiffs are in the United States on visas, while one is seeking asylum. Another plaintiff is a real-estate broker, Multi-Choice Realty, that serves a large number of Chinese clients.
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