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![\"Sen.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Sen.-Tom-Leek.jpg\")
<\/p>\nFlorida lawmakers split on AI regulation<\/p>\n
Gov. Ron DeSantis is renews his call for an ‘AI Bill of Rights’
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Sen. Tom Leek<\/p>\n
The Florida House is rejecting sweeping AI restrictions, and the Senate is showing little interest in a more targeted House proposal.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Gov. Ron DeSantis is renewing his call for an \u201cAI Bill of Rights.\u201d<\/p>\n
At a roundtable discussion Friday in the Capitol with academics, health regulators, and tearful parents, DeSantis warned that the tech industry is motivated only by profit, and government\u2019s failure to regulate is \u201cbasically an amnesty.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to have robust protections for children,\u201d DeSantis said. \u201cThere are some very serious downsides.\u201d<\/p>\n
Earlier in the week, the Senate voted 35-2 to approve SB 482 by Republican Sen. Tom Leek, a chief legal officer from Ormond Beach.<\/p>\n
The \u201cAI Bill of Rights\u201d would bar AI companion chatbots from interacting with children without parental consent. Platforms would be required to post frequent notices that users are not speaking with a human.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s an inherent evilness when we allow machines to create and sustain a relationship that a user believes to be real,\u201d Leek said. \u201cThat evilness is only magnified when that machine interacts with a child or vulnerable adult.\u201d<\/p>\n
The bill is inspired, in part, by a Florida mother who claims an AI companion chatbot encouraged the 2024 suicide of her 14-year-old son.<\/p>\n
SB 482 would give platforms 45 days to correct mistakes, but subject them to fines of up to $50,000 for violations the Florida attorney general deems \u201cegregious.\u201d<\/p>\n
A few hours after the Senate vote, Speaker Daniel Perez, a Miami attorney, said the House prefers to let federal regulators take the lead when it comes to regulating AI platforms.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do believe that the federal government should take care of AI and in whatever legislation or policy has to pass on a national level as opposed to doing it on a state-by-state basis,\u201d Perez said.<\/p>\n
A House companion to Leek\u2019s bill, HB 659 by Rep. Christine Hunschofsky, D-Parkland, failed to get a committee hearing this session.<\/p>\n
![\"Rep.](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Rep.-Hillary-Cassel.jpg\")
<\/p>\n
Rep. Hillary Cassel<\/p>\n
On Thursday, the House voted 108-0 to approve HB 527, \u201cMandatory Human Review of Insurance Claims Denials,\u201d by Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-Orlando.<\/p>\n
\u201cCS\/CS HB 527 is a consumer protection bill that ensures no Floridian has their insurance claim denied or reduced solely by artificial intelligence,\u201d Cassel said.<\/p>\n
Cassel is co-founder of a civil litigation firm that represents residential and commercial policy holders.<\/p>\n
The bill requires a \u201cqualified human professional\u201d to independently review the facts of a claim, analyze the policy, evaluate any artificial intelligence output, and make a final determination. Insurance companies would be permitted to use AI and algorithms to assist with claims processing, but the bill \u201cdraws a clear line\u201d when it comes to denying or reducing benefits, Cassel said.<\/p>\n
Insurers would also be required to document that a claims denial was reviewed by a qualified human professional, Cassel noted.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis legislation does not ban innovation, it simply ensures that technology assists, but never replaces human judgment when families, injured workers, or patients are depending on their coverage,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The Senate has shown little interest in the proposal and its prospects this year appear slim.<\/p>\n
A companion to Cassel\u2019s bill, SB 202 by Republican Sen. Jennifer Bradly, a Flemming Island attorney, failed to get a committee hearing.<\/p>\n
The 60-day regular session is scheduled to adjourn March 13, but with budget negotiations stalled, an extended session to reach a compromise appears likely.<\/p>\n
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