FL H0499

Creates Section 286.31, Florida Statutes, prohibiting governmental entities from entering into financial agreements with professional sports teams unless the agreement requires the team to play the U.S. national anthem at the beginning of each home sporting event.

Covers teams in MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, MLS, minor leagues, WNBA, and motorsports venues with 75,000+ seats (NASCAR, INDYCAR), as well as PGA events.

Failure to play the national anthem constitutes a default of the agreement, immediately subjecting the team to penalties including repayment of government funds and ineligibility for future payments.

Governmental entities must strictly enforce the default provision; the Attorney General may intervene if they fail to do so.

Effective date: July 1, 2022.