Florida Governor: We Welcome Bitcoin
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has reportedly proposed programs to make his state friendlier to Bitcoin innovation. The governor’s move gives Miami Mayor Francis Suarez state-level support, adding to the previous aid received at the county level.
“Our view as the state government is this is something that we welcome and we want to make sure that the state government is crypto-friendly,” DeSantis said, according to a Bloomberg report.
DeSantis proposed a program to enable businesses in Florida to pay state fees in bitcoin and cryptocurrencies, among other cryptocurrency-related proposals included in the state’s budget for next year.
The move is an attempt to attract further Bitcoin investment to Florida. This year, the state has seen an influx of related entrepreneurs and businesses as new developments and welcoming officials plug into the Bitcoin narrative. Suarez started these efforts, advocating for friendlier regulation and novel developments at the city level to enable the flourishing of Bitcoin-related innovation.
Suarez first proposed Miami integrate Bitcoin into its operations earlier this year. The resolution sought to allow residents to pay city fees and property taxes in bitcoin and city employees to get paid in bitcoin. The proposal also intended to allow Miami to hold BTC. The mayor later received support from Miami-Dade County with the establishment of a cryptocurrency task force that would assess the feasibility of similar developments at a county level.
DeSantis is the latest Florida official to show interest in enabling bitcoin payments. The state-level support could improve Miami’s odds in passing the necessary legislation, as most proposals have since stalled. In October, Suarez said his plan to pay city employees in bitcoin was advancing. Still, the lack of developments in that direction led the mayor to seek an alternative and use Lightning payments app Strike to get a paycheck in BTC.
While improvements and developments in the city, county, and state legislations have not materialized, for the most part, the publicity of promises and excitement towards Bitcoin has driven businesses, enthusiasts, and conferences to Florida. And that is the first step, as lawmakers still struggle to wrap their heads around the peer-to-peer monetary network.
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