A bill that would crack down on people who make false claims about COVID-19 vaccines and personal protective equipment was formally sent Thursday to Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The bill (HB 9), a priority of House Speaker Chris Sprowls, R-Palm Harbor, stems from people using authentic-looking websites that falsely offer access to vaccines or personal protective equipment.
The measure would lead to felony charges for people who run such scams and would authorize the attorney general to seek injunctions to shut down websites or other platforms used to spread fraudulent information.
The governor was also sent a $196.3 million tax package (HB 7061) that has 22 parts, including a formula change for distributing cigarette tax revenues to boost funding for the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
DeSantis has until May 28 to act on the measures.
