Florida’s GOP-led House Stalls on DeSantis AI Agenda
TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Key policies sought by Governor Ron DeSantis to regulate artificial intelligence and the data centers that fuel the booming technology appear to be on thin ice in the Florida Legislature.
The Republican governor, who has emerged as a leading AI skeptic, is pushing for legislation such as an AI “bill of rights” that, among other things, would require companies to disclose whether consumers are communicating with a human, AI system, or chatbot.
“What we’re doing is really just exercising our core constitutional responsibilities to make sure that people in Florida are treated well, and that their rights and well-being are respected,” DeSantis said during a Feb. 4 AI roundtable at New College of Florida. “And we’ll continue to fight that fight.”
Legislative Recommendations
Ahead of the session, DeSantis unveiled a list of recommendations for Florida lawmakers, including the bill of rights that would prohibit the use of therapy or mental health counseling through AI and give parents more controls over how their children use the technology. At the same time, DeSantis is adamant about restricting the growth of data centers by stopping any state subsidies to tech companies and curbing such facilities from depleting local water resources. The governor’s data center proposal also calls for the state to perform sound reviews to guard against noise pollution.
Current Legislative Status
These ideas are moving in the state Senate, where the bill of rights has advanced through one of two committee assignments, while the data center regulations have passed two of three.
It’s a different story in the state House, a chamber at odds with DeSantis since last year under House Speaker Daniel Perez (R-Miami).
Perez has expressed reservations about the growth of AI, warning House members in the weeks leading to the session that “as we’ve seen with social media, short-term legislative choices can have serious long-term consequences.” But his chamber has been hesitant to take up the DeSantis proposals — and may not consider them at all.
Notably, the House version of the AI bill of rights was assigned four committee stops, compared to the typical three assigned to most Florida legislation.
“It’s a little late now, I don’t know if it will be heard,” said state Rep. Alex Rizo (R-Hialeah), who is sponsoring the House bill.
The House could introduce new AI legislation, but it’s unclear when or if that will happen. A spokesperson for Perez did not respond to questions about the status of AI legislation in the House. Perez has not held a media availability with reporters since Jan. 15, the first week of the session.
