Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed into law this week a state budget with a key provision that bars state agencies from using advertising firms that rely on media monitors and "misinformation" blacklisters.

For a second year in a row, DeSantis has further cemented Florida's role at the forefront of a growing national campaign against viewpoint discrimination in advertising.

The provision, included in Florida's Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget, prohibits state agencies from contracting with any advertising firms that use media-rating or monitoring organizations that rate news outlets for bias, accuracy, brand safety, or "misinformation."

Such groups include left-wing monitors, including NewsGuard, Ad Fontes Media, and the Global Disinformation Index (GDI) when placing taxpayer-funded advertising.

The Independent Media Council (IMC), a coalition of conservative and independent media organizations, praised DeSantis for renewing the measure after first enacting it in 2025.

"Gov. DeSantis has once again demonstrated Florida's leadership in defending free speech and viewpoint diversity," said Christine Czernejewski, spokesperson for the IMC.

"By signing this provision for a second year, Florida is sending a clear message that taxpayer-funded advertising should be focused on reaching the broadest possible audience, not filtered through politically motivated media blacklist systems," she added.

Supporters argue that organizations such as NewsGuard, GDI, and Ad Fontes Media influence corporate advertising decisions by assigning ratings or risk assessments to news organizations.

Such ratings, they contend, steer advertising dollars away from conservative and independent publishers.

Famed legal expert Jonathan Turley has described NewsGuard's ratings system as a "massive censorship system."

Many of the media monitors are reportedly run by left-wing activists and journalists.

NewsGuard, for example, was founded in 2018 by Steven Brill, a longtime Democratic Party activist and donor.

The Media Research Center, in three annual reviews, found that NewsGuard consistently ranks conservative media significantly lower in ratings than left-wing media.

Ratings systems like NewsGuard's effectively create "blacklists" that disadvantage media outlets based on political viewpoint rather than audience reach or advertising performance.

Florida first adopted the budget language last year, becoming one of the first states to directly address the use of media-monitoring organizations in state advertising contracts.

By extending the policy for another year, the state is signaling that it intends to keep taxpayer dollars from flowing through advertising firms that rely on those ratings.

The move comes amid broader national scrutiny of advertising industry practices.

Congress has for the past two years included provisions in the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) aimed at limiting the Department of War's use of advertising firms that employ politically biased media-monitoring systems.

At the same time, the Federal Trade Commission has increased its examination of alleged political discrimination within the advertising industry, including through investigations and merger reviews involving major advertising firms.

Those actions have followed consent agreements and heightened regulatory attention surrounding some of the world's largest advertising agencies and industry practices, prohibiting these agencies from engaging in viewpoint discrimination when directing advertising dollars.

State governments are also beginning to follow Florida's lead.

Earlier this year, West Virginia enacted the First Amendment Preservation Act, legislation designed to protect against government-supported censorship and viewpoint discrimination, adding momentum to what supporters describe as a nationwide effort to prevent taxpayer funds from supporting politically selective advertising practices.

"What began as a first-in-the-nation effort is increasingly becoming a national movement," Czernejewski said. "Policymakers across the country are recognizing that government advertising dollars should not be used to subsidize censorship or reward organizations that discriminate based on viewpoint."

The IMC argues the issue carries particular importance for Florida because of its expanding creator economy, tourism industry, and large independent media sector, all of which compete for advertising revenue.

DeSantis signed the overall $117.6 billion state budget on June 29 after exercising nearly $810 million in line-item vetoes. The spending plan marks Florida's fourth consecutive year of declining state spending while continuing funding for education, infrastructure, and public safety.

Supporters believe Florida's provision will continue to have national implications as additional states weigh similar legislation.

The IMC said it expects more legislatures and federal agencies will continue to implement comparable restrictions in the coming year.