Newly-Passed Florida Privacy Law Bill

On May 4, 2023, the Florida State legislature passed the Florida Digital Bill of Rights ("SB 262"). If Governor DeSantis signs SB 262 into law, as expected, Florida will become the ninth state of the Union to enact its own comprehensive consumer privacy law. As our readership knows, the California Consumer Privacy Act of 2018 ("CCPA") was the first comprehensive consumer privacy law passed in the United States. While Florida's privacy law is similar to the CCPA in many respects, it is noticeably more consumer friendly. Florida's legislature also recently passed an amendment to Florida's Telephone Solicitation Act ("FTSA"). The amendment, if signed into law by Governor DeSantis, would make the FTSA much more business friendly. Given the foregoing recent measures, it would appear that the Florida legislature is now adjusting to the glut of lawsuits filed under the State's consumer-friendly statutes.