Gov. Ron DeSantis highlighted some of his priorities ahead of the next legislative session at a press conference in Sanderson on Monday which includes the elimination of property taxes on homesteaded properties, along with raises for corrections officers, highway patrol and law enforcement.
And the governor continued his call for parental rights and protections for kids and parents when it comes to artificial intelligence.
“We want to make sure we're protecting parents and kids, especially from AI. Some of the stuff that's happening is not good for young people, not good for families,” DeSantis said.
But DeSantis wants to take it one step further, saying he also wants the legislature to extend protections to adults interacting with AI as well.
“And obviously we don't want this [AI] to be supplanting human decision making and different avenues of life here in Florida. So there's a whole host of issues with that. But we'll have some good announcements this week,” DeSantis said.
Watch the governor’s press conference here. A discussion of legislative priorities comes near the 1 hour mark:
In the weeks before winter break, the governor held several press conferences around the state, including one in Central Florida in The Villages, calling for an AI bill of rights for Floridians that would include protections for young people who may interact with AI.
At those press conferences he was often joined by Orlando resident Megan Garcia, whose son Sewell Jr. died by suicide in February of 2024 after she says he was “sexually groomed” by a chatbot, who told him to “come home to her.”
The governor says President Trump’s executive order limiting the restrictions states can put on AI shouldn’t preclude Florida from protecting children.
Last month, Volusia County Republican Sen. Tom Leek of Ormond Beach, filed SB 482, called the “Artificial Intelligence Bill of Rights,” to be taken up in the legislative session beginning Jan. 13.
A companion bill, HB 659, has also been filed in the Florida House by Democratic Rep. Christine Hunschofsky from South Florida.
Leek’s bill which closely aligns with the governor’s proposal for an AI bill of rights would among other things, prohibit a minor from creating new or maintaining existing AI chatbot accounts without parental permission. It would also prohibit AI companies from selling users’ information without their consent.
Read the full bill here:
