Judge rules Florida law banning some Chinese property purchases can be enforced

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) — A federal judge is refusing to block a new Florida law that bans citizens of China and some other countries from purchasing property in large swaths of Florida. Judge Allen Winsor denied an injunction requested by the American Civil Liberties Union, which is seeking to have the law stricken in a lawsuit filed on behalf of a group of Chinese citizens living in Florida. The law applies to properties within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of military installations and other “critical infrastructure” and also affects citizens of Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Iran, Russia and North Korea. But Chinese citizens and those selling property to them face the harshest penalties.