CS/HB 667 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb667-01-c1
Page 1 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
A bill to be entitled 1
An act relating to liability for defamatory 2
statements; amending s. 770.02, F.S.; requiring that 3
certain articles or broadcasts be removed from 4
specified websites within a specified period to limit 5
damages for defamation; amending s. 770.04, F.S.; 6
providing persons in certain positions relating to 7
newspapers with immunity for defamation if such 8
persons exercise due care to prevent publication of a 9
defamatory statement; requiring removal of defamatory 10
statements from specified websites in certain 11
circumstances; providing an effective date. 12
13
Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: 14
15
Section 1. Subsections (1) and (2) of section 770.02, 16
Florida Statutes, are amended to read: 17
770.02 Correction, apology, or retraction by newspaper or 18
broadcast station.— 19
(1) If it appears upon the trial that said article or 20
broadcast was published in good faith; that its falsity was due 21
to an honest mistake of the facts; that there were reasonable 22
grounds for believing that the statements in said article or 23
broadcast were true; and that, within the period of time 24
specified in subsection (2), a full and fair correction, 25
CS/HB 667 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb667-01-c1
Page 2 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
apology, or retraction was, in the case of a newspaper or 26
periodical, published in the same editions or corresponding 27
issues of the newspaper or periodical in which said article 28
appeared and in as conspicuous place and type as said original 29
article or, in the case of a broadcast, the correc tion, apology, 30
or retraction was broadcast at a comparable time, then the 31
plaintiff in such case shall recover only actual damages. For 32
purposes of this section, if such an article or broadcast has 33
been published on the Internet, the article or broadcast m ust be 34
permanently removed from any website over which the newspaper, 35
broadcaster, or periodical has control within the time period 36
provided in paragraph (2)(a) in order to limit recovery to 37
actual damages as provided in this section. 38
(2) Full and fair c orrection, apology, or retraction shall 39
be made: 40
(a) In the case of a broadcast or a daily or weekly 41
newspaper or periodical, within 10 days after service of 42
notice.; 43
(b) In the case of a newspaper or periodical published 44
semimonthly, within 20 days af ter service of notice .; 45
(c) In the case of a newspaper or periodical published 46
monthly, within 45 days after service of notice .; and 47
(d) In the case of a newspaper or periodical published 48
less frequently than monthly, in the next issue, provided notice 49
is served no later than 45 days before prior to such 50
CS/HB 667 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb667-01-c1
Page 3 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
publication. 51
Section 2. Section 770.04, Florida Statutes, is amended to 52
read: 53
770.04 Civil liability of certain media outlets radio or 54
television broadcasting stations ; care to prevent publication or 55
utterance required.— 56
(1) The owner, licensee, or operator of a radio or 57
television broadcasting station or a newspaper, and the agents 58
or employees of any such owner, licensee , or operator, are shall 59
not be liable for any damages for any defamatory s tatement 60
published or uttered in or as a part of a radio or television 61
broadcast or newspaper article , by one other than such owner, 62
licensee, or operator, or general agent or employees thereof, 63
unless it is shall be alleged and proved by the complaining 64
party, that such owner, licensee, operator, general agent , or 65
employee, has failed to exercise due care to prevent the 66
publication or utterance of such statement in such broadcasts or 67
newspaper articles, provided, however, the exercise of due care 68
shall be construed to include the bona fide compliance with any 69
federal law or the regulation of any federal regulatory agency. 70
(2) When an owner, a licensee, or an operator described in 71
subsection (1) publishes a defamatory statement on the Internet 72
with no knowledge of falsity of the statement and thereafter 73
receives notice that such statement has been found in a judicial 74
proceeding to be false, or receives notice of facts that would 75
CS/HB 667 2025
CODING: Words stricken are deletions; words underlined are additions.
hb667-01-c1
Page 4 of 4
F L O R I D A H O U S E O F R E P R E S E N T A T I V E S
cause a reasonable person to conclude that such statement was 76
false, and the owner, licensee, or operator fails to take 77
reasonable steps to permanently remove the statement and any 78
related report from any website over which the newspaper, 79
broadcaster, or periodical has control, the continued appearance 80
of such statement or report on such website after the notice is 81
a new publication for purpose of the statute of limitations, and 82
the owner, licensee, or operator shall not be entitled to a fair 83
reporting privilege for such new publication; provided that no 84
action shall be commenced more than 20 years after the date of 85
first publication. 86
Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2025. 87