Florida Targets Chinese Land Buyers, Ignores Saudi Influence
Governor DeSantis is making headlines for cracking down on Chinese citizens purchasing real estate in Florida, citing national security concerns. This, after decades of foreign investment pouring into the state, including substantial sums from Saudi Arabian entities, which face no such restrictions. One might wonder if the 'national security' concern only applies when the money isn't flowing from
certain long-standing allies, or perhaps from countries without complex lobbying operations in Washington. Instead of addressing long-term, verifiable influence (like, say, the $100+ million in lobbying by registered foreign agents in 2023, according to OpenSecrets.org data, much of it from Gulf states), Florida focuses on residential property. It's almost as if the true threat isn't foreign
ownership itself, but rather *which* foreigners are doing the owning. How many of these 'crackdowns' are designed to look tough without actually disrupting the deeper currents of influence?