Updated August 10, 2026

Short answer: Florida’s foreign-ownership rules do not make an entire city or county off-limits to every foreign buyer. The restrictions generally fall into three separate categories:

  1. Agricultural land anywhere in Florida
  2. Real property on or within 10 miles of certain military installations or protected critical-infrastructure facilities
  3. A broader China-specific restriction that may apply to real property anywhere in Florida

Which rule matters depends on the buyer, the property, its location, and whether a limited exception applies.

General educational information only—not legal, tax, immigration, or investment advice. Individual circumstances determine how the law may apply. Consult an independent Florida attorney and qualified U.S. tax professional before acting.

Does Florida restrict every foreign buyer?

No.

Florida’s restrictions apply to people and entities that meet the statutory definition of a foreign principal or fall within the separate China-specific categories.

The term can include:

  • Governments and government officials from designated foreign countries of concern
  • Political parties and certain political-party members
  • Certain businesses organized or principally based in those countries
  • Certain people domiciled in those countries who are neither U.S. citizens nor lawful permanent residents
  • Certain entities controlled by covered people or organizations

Florida currently identifies China, Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, and Syria as foreign countries of concern.

Most foreign citizens are not automatically prohibited from buying Florida real estate. Nationality alone does not answer the question.

Florida’s current definitions and property restrictions appear in Sections 692.201–692.205 of the Florida Statutes. A 2026 amendment effective July 1, 2026, adjusted part of the definition of “foreign country of concern” without changing the three main property and location categories discussed here. Review Chapter 2026-66, Laws of Florida.

What are the three main property restrictions?

The rules are easier to understand when treated separately.

1. Agricultural land

A covered foreign principal generally may not directly or indirectly own, control, or acquire agricultural land anywhere in Florida, subject to limited exceptions.

For this law, “agricultural land” means land classified as agricultural under Florida’s property-assessment law. It does not simply mean a property that looks rural, has a large yard, or contains a few fruit trees.

The county property appraiser determines whether land is classified as agricultural. Florida generally reserves that classification for land used primarily for a bona fide commercial agricultural purpose.

Examples may include land used for:

  • Farming
  • Livestock or dairy production
  • Poultry
  • Forestry
  • Horticulture or floriculture
  • Aquaculture
  • Sod farming
  • Other qualifying commercial agricultural activities

A property may include a residence and still have part of the land classified as agricultural. Buyers should therefore check the county property record rather than relying only on the MLS description or appearance of the property.

The restriction and its exceptions are explained in Section 692.202, Florida Statutes. Florida’s agricultural-classification requirements appear in Section 193.461.

2. Property near military installations or critical infrastructure

A covered foreign principal generally may not directly or indirectly own, control, or acquire real property that is on or within 10 miles of a qualifying military installation or protected critical-infrastructure facility.

This rule is not limited to China-related buyers. It can apply to foreign principals connected to any country included in Florida’s list of foreign countries of concern.

The 10-mile rule appears in Section 692.203, Florida Statutes.

3. The China-specific statewide restriction

Florida has a separate restriction for certain people and entities connected to the People’s Republic of China.

This provision can apply to real property anywhere in Florida. It is not limited to agricultural land or property near a military installation, airport, seaport, or power plant.

A covered person domiciled in mainland China who is neither a U.S. citizen nor a lawful permanent resident may therefore face a statewide restriction unless a statutory exception applies.

The China-specific rule appears in Section 692.204, Florida Statutes.

What counts as a military installation?

For these restrictions, Florida defines a military installation as a base, camp, post, station, yard, or center that:

  • Encompasses at least 10 contiguous acres; and
  • Is under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Defense or its affiliates

A small recruiting office or ordinary government building is not automatically a qualifying military installation.

Buyers should not attempt to determine the legal boundary by looking at a general online map. The particular installation and distance from the proposed property should be verified professionally.

What counts as a critical-infrastructure facility?

Florida’s definition includes certain protected:

  • Chemical-manufacturing facilities
  • Refineries
  • Electrical power plants
  • Water-treatment facilities and wastewater-treatment plants
  • Liquid-natural-gas terminals
  • Telecommunications central-switching offices
  • Gas-processing plants
  • Listed seaports
  • Spaceport territories
  • Airports

The facility must also employ measures such as fences, barriers, or guard posts designed to exclude unauthorized people.

This means every utility building, cell tower, water pump, private airstrip, or industrial property is not automatically a qualifying critical-infrastructure facility.

The statutory definition appears in Section 692.201, Florida Statutes.

Does being within 10 miles automatically prevent a purchase?

No.

Two questions must be answered together:

  1. Is the property on or within 10 miles of a qualifying military installation or protected critical-infrastructure facility?
  2. Is the buyer legally considered a covered foreign principal?

If the buyer is not a covered foreign principal, the 10-mile restriction does not prohibit the purchase merely because the property is near one of these facilities.

If the buyer is covered, a limited residential exception may still be available for certain natural persons.

Why do people talk about both five miles and 10 miles?

The two distances apply to different parts of the law.

  • Ten miles is the general restricted zone surrounding qualifying military installations and critical-infrastructure facilities under Section 692.203.
  • Five miles is part of the limited exception that may allow a qualifying natural person to purchase one residential property.

Under the residential exception, the property cannot be on or within five miles of a qualifying military installation.

The five-mile language is not a general statement that all properties located more than five miles from a military installation are permitted. The buyer must still satisfy every other requirement, and other restrictions may still apply.

What is the limited residential exception?

Certain natural persons who would otherwise be covered may be permitted to purchase one residential property of up to two acres when all statutory conditions are satisfied.

Those conditions currently include:

  • The parcel is no larger than two acres.
  • The property is not on or within five miles of a qualifying military installation.
  • The buyer has a current verified U.S. visa that is not limited to tourist travel, or documentation confirming that the person has been granted asylum.
  • The visa or asylum documentation authorizes the person to be legally present in Florida.
  • The property is purchased in the name of the person holding those documents.

A qualifying purchase may also need to be registered with the Florida Department of Commerce within 30 days.

This exception is narrow. It may not protect:

  • A purchase using only a tourist visa
  • A purchase by a corporation or LLC instead of the qualifying individual
  • A parcel larger than two acres
  • A second residential property
  • A property located too close to a qualifying military installation
  • A buyer who does not hold the required immigration documentation

An attorney should confirm every requirement before the buyer signs a contract or sends a deposit.

Does the residential exception prohibit a home near critical infrastructure?

The language of the residential exception specifically requires the home to be outside the five-mile zone around a qualifying military installation. It does not contain the same five-mile condition for critical-infrastructure facilities.

However, that does not mean a buyer should assume that a property near an airport, seaport, power plant, or other facility is automatically permitted.

The buyer may be subject to more than one part of the law, and the property and buyer must be reviewed together. The safest approach is to have a Florida attorney confirm whether the exception applies to the exact transaction.

Are condos exempt?

No general condominium exemption appears in these statutes.

A condominium is an interest in Florida real property. Its treatment may depend on:

  • Who is purchasing it
  • Whether the China-specific restriction applies
  • Whether it is within a relevant location zone
  • Whether the buyer qualifies for the one-residence exception
  • Whether the buyer already owns another Florida residence
  • How title will be held

The same caution applies to townhomes, villas, vacant residential lots, commercial units, and fractional property interests.

The property’s ordinary marketing label does not decide whether the law applies.

What about vacant land or a large residential parcel?

Vacant land is not automatically agricultural land. Its current county classification and use should be checked.

A large parcel can create additional concerns:

  • It may contain land classified as agricultural.
  • It may exceed the two-acre limit for the residential exception.
  • Different portions of the property may have different classifications.
  • Its boundaries may affect whether it falls within a restricted distance.

A buyer considering acreage, a farm, equestrian property, nursery, grove, ranch, or mixed-use parcel should have the property classification reviewed before making an offer.

What if the property is outside every 10-mile zone?

That may resolve the location-based restriction for a foreign principal connected to Russia, Iran, North Korea, Cuba, the Venezuelan regime of Nicolás Maduro, or Syria—assuming the property is also not agricultural land and no other provision applies.

It does not necessarily resolve the issue for someone covered by the separate China-specific restriction. That provision can apply to real estate anywhere in Florida.

This is why a buyer should not rely on the statement, “The property is not near a military base, so the purchase is allowed.”

The buyer’s legal status matters just as much as the property’s location.

Does this matter in Pinellas County?

Potentially.

Pinellas County and the surrounding region contain airports, seaports, military facilities, power and water infrastructure, and other facilities that may require a location review.

That does not mean Palm Harbor, Clearwater, Dunedin, Safety Harbor, Tarpon Springs, Largo, St. Petersburg, or any other entire Pinellas community is prohibited.

The law is applied to the particular buyer, parcel, facility, and distance—not merely the city name or ZIP code.

A buyer may find that one property requires additional review while another property in the same community does not.

How should a property be screened?

Before making an offer, a potentially affected buyer should gather:

  • The property’s full street address
  • Parcel-identification number
  • Legal description
  • Parcel size
  • Current county property classification
  • Intended use of the property
  • Information about any agricultural use
  • The buyer’s citizenship, domicile, and immigration documentation
  • Information about Florida property already owned
  • The proposed ownership structure
  • Information about anyone who will control or own part of the purchasing entity

A Florida attorney or title professional can help determine whether the parcel is agricultural or located within a qualifying restricted area. The attorney should separately determine whether the buyer is covered or qualifies for an exception.

A standard internet distance measurement should not replace a legal review of the property boundaries, facility status, and statutory requirements.

Can the buyer solve the issue by using an LLC?

Not automatically.

Florida’s law covers direct ownership, indirect ownership, and controlling interests. It also addresses certain partnerships, corporations, trusts, subsidiaries, and other entities formed to own Florida real estate.

An LLC may create additional questions:

  • Who controls the company?
  • Who owns its membership interests?
  • Where is the company organized or principally based?
  • Was it formed to hold the Florida property?
  • Does a covered person or entity have a controlling interest?
  • Will using the LLC prevent the buyer from using the individual residential exception?
  • What tax or estate consequences will the structure create?

The ownership structure should be reviewed before the contract is signed.

What happens if property is inherited?

The statutes contain limited provisions allowing certain covered foreign principals to acquire property through inheritance, enforcement of a security interest, or collection of a debt.

These provisions generally require the property to be sold, transferred, or otherwise divested within three years.

Registration may also be required.

Inheritance does not necessarily allow the recipient to keep the property indefinitely, and it may raise separate U.S. estate, income-tax, and reporting issues.

How can a Mandarin-speaking Realtor help?

A Realtor cannot provide the buyer with a legal determination or certify that a property is permitted.

A knowledgeable local Realtor can still help by:

  • Identifying the issue early
  • Collecting the property address, parcel number, acreage, and public records
  • Helping the buyer compare alternative properties
  • Coordinating with the buyer’s attorney, title company, lender, and tax professional
  • Avoiding unnecessary inspections or expenses until eligibility concerns are addressed
  • Explaining the normal Florida purchase, inspection, insurance, and closing process

Rachael Han assists Mandarin- and English-speaking buyers throughout Pinellas County and surrounding Florida communities. When legal or tax questions arise, the Han-Ong Team can help the buyer locate appropriate Florida professionals before moving forward.

The bottom line

Florida does not simply prohibit every foreign buyer from purchasing property near an airport, military base, power plant, or other facility.

The actual framework includes:

  • A statewide agricultural-land restriction for covered foreign principals
  • A 10-mile restriction around qualifying military installations and protected critical infrastructure
  • A separate China-specific restriction that may apply anywhere in Florida
  • A narrow exception for certain individuals purchasing one residential property

The safest approach is to screen both the buyer and the property before submitting an offer.

Do not assume that every property is prohibited. Do not assume that being outside a five- or 10-mile boundary makes every purchase permissible. Gather the facts, obtain individual legal guidance, and then proceed with a properly coordinated Florida property search.