Chinese citizens sue Florida over 'xenophobic' property ownership ban

A group of Chinese Floridians and a real estate brokerage firm are suing the state in federal court over a recently-signed Gov. Ron DeSantis policy they say puts “draconian restrictions” on people from China.

"The legislation unfairly restricts most Chinese citizens — and most citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia, and North Korea — from purchasing homes in the state," they said in a press release posted by the American Civil Liberties Union, one of their legal representatives.

Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose presidential campaign announcement is expected to be imminent, signed Senate Bill 264 into law with fanfare a couple weeks back, despite the discrimination concerns raised by some Democrats and Chinese Floridians.