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PolitiFact FL: Ron DeSantis didn’t ban displaying Puerto Rico’s flag in public

WLRN Public Media | By PolitiFact
Published May 31, 2023 at 3:12 PM EDT
A woman waves the flag of Puerto Rico during a news conference on Puerto Rican statehood on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 2, 2021.
Patrick Semansky
/
AP
A woman waves the flag of Puerto Rico during a news conference on Puerto Rican statehood on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, March 2, 2021.

A TikTok video claims that in Florida displaying Puerto Rico’s flag, including in cars, will no longer be allowed. The video blames Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"Desanti says we can't put Puertorican flag in Florida," said text on the video, while misspelling DeSantis' name.

A Spanish-language TikTok video similarly claims that in Florida exhibiting Puerto Rico’s flag in public is now a crime.

"The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, signed a law to ban exhibiting Puerto Rico’s flag in public," reads the text in that video published May 23. "The prohibition includes showing the starry flag in an event like a parade, in cars and even on the exterior of residences."

More than 1 million Puerto Ricans are living in Florida, based on Census Bureau data.

PolitiFact found no law signed by DeSantis that prohibits raising the Puerto Rican flag in Florida. We also found no statement from him about signing a future bill that does what the video said. PolitiFact contacted the governor’s office but didn’t get a response.

Members of the House of Representatives and the Florida Senate proposed this year limiting the types of flags that could be exhibited in government buildings, but these bills weren’t approved.

SB 668 and HB 1011 sought to prohibit certain government agencies and local government units from displaying flags that didn't follow certain protocols or requirements.

Even if those bills had been approved, they wouldn't have applied to public events like parades or private property, such as cars or houses.

In 1948, a law in Puerto Rico known as the "Ley de la Mordaza," made it illegal to exhibit or own a Puerto Rican flag. This law was abolished in 1957.

Our ruling

A TikTok video claimed that DeSantis said Puerto Rico’s flag can’t be displayed in Florida.

We found no evidence to back this claim.

This legislative session, some lawmakers proposed limiting the types of flags that are exhibited in government buildings, but these bills weren’t approved.

We rate this claim False.

Read a similar fact-check in Spanish.

Our Sources

Copyright 2023 WLRN 91.3 FM.

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