Remember when you weren’t allowed to question COVID protocols? Here we go again…Florida is using similar tactics to silence dissent again.
There’s a bill moving through the Florida Legislature that should alarm every parent, doctor, scientist, journalist, and taxpayer who cares about clean water, safe food, and the freedom to speak the truth.
Senate Bill 290 (and its House companion, HB 433) quietly expands Florida’s existing food disparagement law in a way that goes far beyond protecting farmers from false claims. It weaponizes litigation to shut down speech about agricultural practices that directly affect our health, waterways, and environment.
This isn’t theoretical. It’s real. And it’s dangerous.
What the Law Does — And Why It Matters
Under current Florida law, disparagement applies narrowly to false statements about perishable food products being unsafe for human consumption. SB 290 blows that door wide open.
The bill removes the word “perishable,” expands the definition of agricultural food product to include agricultural practices, allows producers or their associations to sue critics, and exposes speakers to punitive damages and attorney fees.
That last part matters most. Even when claims are supported by emerging science or reasonable concern, the financial risk alone is enough to silence speech.
This Is a SLAPP Law in Disguise
Free-speech advocates call this tactic SLAPP pressure — Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation. The punishment isn’t losing the case. The punishment is the cost, the fear, and the exhaustion of being dragged into court.
Doctors stop warning patients. Scientists hesitate to publish. Journalists pull punches. Residents stay quiet about polluted water or rising cancer clusters. Silence becomes the goal.
Science Isn’t a Courtroom
Public health doesn’t advance through courtroom-grade proof. It advances through questioning, debate, and transparency. SB 290 flips that reality by redefining false speech as anything not backed by approved scientific data — as judged after the fact.
Why Florida Should Be Especially Concerned
Florida’s health, environment, and economy are tied directly to agriculture — and to what flows off agricultural land. Fertilizers, pesticides, water management, and burning practices all impact drinking water, estuaries, coastal ecosystems, and public health.
Communities rely on open criticism to surface risks early. SB 290 tells Floridians to stay quiet or pay the price.
Let’s Call This What It Is
This bill isn’t about stopping lies. It’s about protecting powerful interests from scrutiny, discouraging whistleblowers, and making accountability unaffordable.
When citizens can’t speak freely about risks to their health, food, and water, democracy breaks down.
Call to Action
Floridians should demand answers. Ask your legislators why questioning public health risks should come with financial punishment — and who benefits when citizens are afraid to speak.
Eye sends a thank you and a special call out to Dr. Tracy Fanara for this information. She has a PhD in Environmental Engineering and is a former NOAA scientist. She can be found on Tik Tok @InspectorPlanet.
