Florida Senate - 2018 SB 110
By Senator Campbell
38-00158-18 2018110__
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to language requirements for state
3 agency websites and advertisements; creating s.
4 286.31, F.S.; defining terms; requiring specified
5 information to be published on state agency websites
6 in certain languages; providing applicability;
7 requiring state agencies to disseminate certain
8 advertisements to the public in languages other than
9 English through specified media outlets in certain
10 counties; providing applicability; requiring the
11 Office of Economic and Demographic Research to publish
12 certain information on its website; providing an
13 effective date.
14
15 WHEREAS, the United States Census Bureau estimates that
16 more than 28 percent of Floridians age 5 or older speak a
17 language other than English at home, and
18 WHEREAS, in language-diverse counties of the state, which
19 include Broward, Collier, DeSoto, Glades, Hardee, Hendry,
20 Hillsborough, Lee, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm
21 Beach, and St. Lucie, more than 20 percent of residents age 5 or
22 older speak a language other than English at home, and in Miami
23 Dade County that figure accounts for more than 72 percent of
24 residents, and
25 WHEREAS, 32 percent of Black or African-American persons
26 residing in Miami-Dade County speak a language other than
27 English at home, more than 22 percent of them having immigrated
28 from countries where English is not the native or official
29 language, and they speak Kreyol or French, and
30 WHEREAS, more than 3.7 million Floridians speak Spanish, of
31 which more than 1.6 million speak English less than “very well,”
32 and in Miami-Dade County, more than 1.5 million speak Spanish,
33 of which more than 760,000 speak English less than “very well,”
34 and
35 WHEREAS, state agency websites as well as advertisements
36 disseminated to the public through broadcast or cable
37 television, radio, Internet, newspaper or other print media, and
38 outdoor advertising are not effective in reaching this
39 significant number of Floridians who speak English less than
40 “very well,” NOW, THEREFORE,
41
42 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
43
44 Section 1. Section 286.31, Florida Statutes, is created to
45 read:
46 286.31 State agency websites and advertisements; language
47 requirements.—
48 (1) As used in this section, the term:
49 (a) “Advertising” means any marketing or promotion of state
50 programs or services, public health or consumer advisories, or
51 other public interest communications disseminated to the public
52 through any form of mass media, including, but not limited to,
53 broadcast or cable television, radio, Internet, newspaper or
54 other print media, or outdoor advertising. The term does not
55 include information provided through the emergency alert system.
56 (b) “Language-diverse county” means, according to the most
57 recent census data published by the United States Census Bureau,
58 a county in which at least 20 percent of its residents age 5 or
59 older speak a language other than English at home.
60 (c) “State agency” means any official, officer, commission,
61 board, authority, council, committee, or department of the
62 executive branch of state government.
63 (2) Each state agency website shall be published in English
64 and include hyperlinks that allow a person to view the published
65 information in Spanish and Kreyol. This subsection applies only
66 to a website’s hypertext markup language and does not require a
67 state agency to publish each linked document, such as laws,
68 rules, or other publications in portable document format or
69 other electronic format, in a language other than English.
70 (3)(a) Each state agency, when advertising to the public in
71 English in a language-diverse county, shall also provide such
72 advertising:
73 1. In each language spoken at home by more than 20 percent
74 of the county’s residents age 5 or older, according to the most
75 recent census data published by the United States Census Bureau.
76 2. Through mass media outlets that disseminate information
77 predominately in the languages described in subparagraph 1.
78 3. In a manner that is culturally sensitive.
79 (b) A statewide advertisement must comply with paragraph
80 (a) with respect to each language-diverse county.
81 (c) This subsection does not apply to legal advertisements
82 required by law.
83 (4) The Office of Economic and Demographic Research, to
84 assist state agencies in complying with this section, shall
85 publish on its website a list of each language-diverse county in
86 the state based on the most recent census data published by the
87 United States Census Bureau.
88 Section 2. This act shall take effect October 1, 2018.