TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Today, Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jimmy Patronis issued a statement on the House Regulatory Reform Subcommittee’s favorable hearing of House Bill 969. In January, the CFO outlined his efforts to pursue consumer data protection this legislative session. The bill moves next to the Civil Justice & Property Rights Subcommittee.

CFO Jimmy Patronis said, “In January, I called on the legislature to hold Big Tech accountable to ensure Florida’s consumers are protected. There’s nothing more valuable to a person than one’s own identity, and Big Tech has figured out a way to cash-in while leaving the consumer in the dark. Floridians deserve to have their data protected and I’m proud to support House Bill 969, it’s good for Florida consumers, good for small businesses and most importantly, it’s the right thing to do.

“A huge thank you to Governor DeSantis, Speaker Sprowls and Representative McFarland for prioritizing this critical issue and working to ensure the private data of Floridians is protected. We must empower consumers to have more control over their data and further protect them from big tech companies who look to profit off of your private information.”