TALLAHASSEE, Florida — Gov. Ron DeSantis said Monday that President Donald Trump’s executive order limiting states from passing artificial intelligence laws won’t stop Florida from pursuing policies like new safeguards for children.
Florida, the GOP governor said, will forge ahead with consideration of AI regulations like his proposed “bill of rights” stuffed with protections for consumers and residents — all as the Trump administration prepares to unleash lawsuits and withhold funding for states that get in the way of federal AI action.
In his first direct comments about Trump’s executive order, DeSantis, a vocal AI skeptic, was confident any actions taken by Florida would survive possible federal scrutiny.
“Even reading it very broadly, I think the stuff we’re doing is going to be very consistent,” DeSantis said Monday during an AI event at Florida Atlantic University. “But irrespective, clearly, we have a right to do this.”
Policymakers in Florida, like those in many states, have been contemplating the future of AI and taking up legislation to install guardrails around the emerging technology. Just last week, Florida House members advanced one of several bills aiming to rein in AI by requiring insurance claim denials to come from a “qualified human.”
DeSantis, though, is leading the charge in calling for states to act on AI while slamming the idea of Congress passing a 10-year moratorium blocking them from doing so.
While Trump’s new AI executive order, signed Thursday, cast some uncertainty over what Florida and other states can do, DeSantis maintains the federal guidance doesn’t block or preempt the protections he wants.
Still, DeSantis acknowledged the threat of Attorney General Pam Bondi challenging state laws “because they’re worried about California, Colorado, doing really crazy things.”
“I don’t know how successful that would be,” DeSantis said. “But the reality is I don’t anticipate that even happening against any of the stuff we’re doing in Florida. But if it does, I think we would be well positioned to be able to prevail on that.”
DeSantis last week introduced a slate of recommendations for Florida lawmakers, calling on them to require companies to notify consumers when they are interacting with AI, prohibit the use of therapy or mental health counseling through AI and give parents more controls over how their children use AI. At the same time, DeSantis wants to restrict the growth of data centers that fuel AI efforts by stopping Florida from giving any subsidies to tech companies and curb them from using local water resources.
These proposals and other possible AI regulations are slated to be considered during Florida’s legislative session, which begins Jan. 13.
