DeSantis’s AI Bill of Rights Passes Florida State Senate

The Florida state Senate on Wednesday passed Gov. Ron DeSantis’s proposal for an artificial intelligence (AI) Bill of Rights for citizens.

The bill, SB 482, passed on a 35-2 vote but appears unlikely to advance in the lower chamber. It has sparked debate on whether states can craft their own regulations on AI or be blocked from doing so by an all-encompassing federal rulebook proposed by President Donald Trump.

Florida’s 2026 legislative session ends March 13.

Republican state Rep. Alex Rizo sponsored the House version of the AI Bill of Rights but has said it’s unlikely to advance before the Legislature adjourns. The state House speaker, Republican Rep. Daniel Perez, has previously told reporters he wants to leave AI regulations to the federal government.

DeSantis originally announced his AI Bill of Rights proposal on Dec. 4.

One week later, Trump issued a presidential action ordering a national policy framework on AI.

“State-by-State regulation by definition creates a patchwork of 50 different regulatory regimes that makes compliance more challenging, particularly for start-ups,” the president’s action read.

DeSantis vowed not to let Trump’s action stop Florida from pursuing its own state-level regulations.

“We have a right to do this,” the Florida governor said in December, despite threats of lawsuits and withheld funding for states going against federal policies.

Federal preemption states that higher-level laws supersede lower-level ones if they are in conflict. But DeSantis has said he believes his AI Bill of Rights would be consistent with Trump’s all-encompassing rulebook.

The governor’s AI legislation would prohibit state or local government agencies from using Chinese-created AI tools; prevent AI from using a citizen’s name, image, or likeness without their consent; and require consumers to be notified whenever they are interacting with AI.

The bill also gives more protections for parents regarding their children, such as allowing access to conversations a child has with AI and notifying a parent if their child shows concerning behavior.

Similar AI regulations in Florida have also moved through the state Senate, such as SB 484, which unanimously passed on Feb. 26. It’s aimed at regulating large-scale data centers and would protect citizens from footing the bill for rate increases on electricity and water.

The legislation would also require public disclosure for a community if a data center were coming to the area.

The data center regulations have yet to pass the House. It remains unclear if they will make it to the governor’s desk before the legislative session ends.