SHOOTING ITSELF IN THE FOOT: Florida’s Misguided Attack on Free Speech Is Horrible News for Conservative Publishers

Since Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has held office in the Sunshine State, it has seemed that the state has taken a refreshing step towards ending censorship and promoting free speech, with the passage of laws protecting academic freedom and preventing Big Tech to censor conservative speech online. A bill recently introduced in the Florida legislature threatens to undo all the good work the state has accomplished and place conservative media publications in danger. 

HB991, officially titled, “Defamation, False Light, and Unauthorized Publication of Name or Likenesses,” was introduced as a way to open access to the courts for defamation claimants who might not otherwise be able to afford to hire lawyers to defend their reputation. While this is a great goal, the proposed law decisively misses the mark.

Florida originally enacted its anti-SLAPP statute in 2000 and later expanded it in 2015. “SLAPP” is an acronym meaning Strategic Lawsuit Against Public. These sorts of lawsuits are usually filed by a well-heeled plaintiff against a defendant with the goal of using the cost of hiring an attorney and litigating the case to intimidating a defendant. Often, those plaintiffs are Hollywood celebrities, democrat politicians, and radical leftist groups.