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A Republican lawmaker in Florida wants bloggers who write about elected officials to register with the state, raising concern among First Amendment groups who are calling the proposal unconstitutional.
The bill, filed by Sen. Jason Brodeur of Lake Mary, would require bloggers to file periodic reports with the state if they are paid for posts about the state’s governor, lieutenant governor, cabinet members or legislative officials.
Bloggers would have to disclose who paid them and how much, along with other information such as where the post is located online. They would be fined $25 per each day the report is late, up to a maximum of $2,500 for each report. The legislation would not apply to content on “the website of a newspaper or other similar publication.”
The proposal, filed last week, has already begun to draw criticism from First Amendment groups who argue it violates press freedoms.
“The only thing that I can see is that it’s an attempt to limit and control free speech,” said Bobby Block, executive director of the First Amendment Foundation.
