Florida: Proposed Legislation Would Make Photographing a Farm Without Permission a Felony
March 10th, 2011Via: New York Times:
Photographers — perhaps including some ghosts from Farm Security Administration days — are astir at news of a bill introduced by State Senator Jim Norman of Florida that would make it a felony to take a picture of a farm without the owner’s permission:
A person who photographs, video records or otherwise produces images or pictorial records, digital or otherwise, at or of a farm or other property where legitimate agriculture operations are being conducted without the written consent of the owner, or an authorized representative of the owner, commits a felony of the first degree.
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Reader JM sent this in.
Via: Photo Radar:
Introduced by State Senator Jim Norman, a Republican, the bill is intended to curb the activities of animal rights activists, who take photos and videos of farms for campaign purposes. The bill would apply to all photographers.
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PhotoRadar searched Florida public records and found that Sen. Norman received $195,297 in donations during his 2010 election campaign, with agricultural, agri-chemical, construction and real estate firms among the top contributors.
