Oppose the Unconstitutional Surveillance Bills in Florida

Two bills that blatantly contradict the objective of the First Amendment are quickly yet quietly moving through the Florida legislature. HB 945 and SB 1712 aim to establish a “Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit” in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) whose primary mission is to collect information on people “whose demonstrated actions, views, or opinions are a threat or are inimical to the interests of this state and the United States of America."

This ten-person taskforce could be established as soon 2027, and would covertly “identify threats by analyzing patterns of life”, focusing not solely on criminal actions but on the thoughts, opinions, and constitutionally-protected free speech of individuals. The bill’s sponsor, Republican state Rep. Danny Alvarez, claims that his bill “does not authorize investigations based solely on speech”, but its critics have noted how the vague and broad language “opens the door just slightly enough for there to be a justified major exponential expansion of state surveillance of the residents of this state."

These bills come at the same time as four other bills—SB 1632, SB 1634, HB 1471, and HB 1473–are moving through committee, all of which seek to simplify the process of designating domestic terrorist organizations, target “Ideologies Inconsistent with American Principles", and allow legislators to “go after political enemies." Additionally, the lobbyist disclosure form lists the sole corporate interest in HB 945 and SB 1712 as Cellebrite Inc., an Israeli company with ties to ICE and the Maduro regime in Venezuela, whose phone hacking methods used to target journalists in Serbia have been criticized by Amnesty International.

Florida’s government has continually fought against protected speech in recent years, but HB 945 and SB 1712 are the most direct attacks on our constitutional rights yet. Call your representatives and demand they protect your right to think and speak freely.