Bad AI bills risk Florida’s growth, national competitiveness

Artificial intelligence is transforming the American economy at a remarkable speed — from advanced manufacturing and logistics to health care and financial services, and even small businesses.

For Florida, with its growing tech sector, expanding data center presence, and steady population growth, getting AI policy right is critical to maintaining economic momentum and competitiveness.

That is why recent reporting from Axios on the White House’s engagement with Utah lawmakers deserves attention here at home. The White House formally opposed Utah’s HB 286, the Artificial Intelligence Transparency Act, urging lawmakers to reconsider moving forward.

While well-intentioned, HB 286 is exactly the kind of bad, big government bill that echoes policies from California or New York — heavy on paperwork, broad mandates first, and practical consequences later — entrenching incumbents and punishing builders. In response, President Donald Trump stepped in early to stop it.

The fight in Utah further demonstrates why the administration’s support for federal preemption of state AI laws is urgently needed. State-by-state AI regulation is spiraling out of control and, if left unchecked, will choke innovation and surrender the AI race to China.

All states, including red ones, can fall victim to AI misconceptions and untruths, leading to big government regulations that will hold AI back — whether in Utah or in Florida, where one of the worst bills proposed this Legislative Session was SB 482, the AI Bill of Rights.

This bill would have imposed sweeping regulatory mandates, parental consent requirements, and private rights of action on AI and digital platforms. By layering broad compliance obligations on evolving technologies and infrastructure, the legislation would have risked slowing investment, burdening startups, exposing companies to costly lawsuits, and signaling that Florida is a less certain place to build advanced computing capacity.

At a time when other states compete aggressively for AI infrastructure, that sends a dangerous message. Thankfully, Daniel Perez held firm in keeping the AI Bill of Rights from the House floor, saying the federal government should provide a framework for AI.

As a small business owner, I can speak from personal experience about the difficulty of navigating a patchwork of state laws. If every state adopts its own AI rules and standards — particularly those as overly broad as SB 482 — companies will face rising costs and uncertainty. Startups and mid-sized firms, not just large tech companies, would feel the strain. Florida can protect families while preserving a dynamic digital economy, but moving ahead of a broader national framework with expansive mandates like SB 482 risks undermining the innovation that has fueled our growth and ceding investment to states like Texas.

Business leaders and supporters have a key role to play. They should emphasize clarity, competitiveness, and national alignment in AI policy. They should encourage Florida lawmakers to work with the White House’s strategy rather than create new state mandates that complicate the landscape and deter investment.

America is in a global race for technological leadership. A unified national approach strengthens innovators and reinforces our competitive edge. The President’s leadership reflects a commitment to America’s AI dominance and to ensuring that the AI-driven future is built by innovators in Tampa, Orlando, Miami, Tallahassee, Florida, and across the United States — not by companies and leaders based in Beijing.

It is on business and tech leaders to engage and educate lawmakers to support sensible legislation that advances U.S. AI leadership without undermining Florida businesses.

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Bryson Bort is the founder of SCYTHE, a start-up building a next-generation threat emulation platform. He is a graduate of West Point and the University of Florida.