Florida officials say the state’s reliance on Microsoft software for schools, courts, utilities and the sheriff’s office raises national security concerns and has prompted a Federal Trade Commission investigation. The reliance means one company controls critical government functions across every county. In 2023 NASA’s Artemis II crew experienced a Microsoft Outlook outage during a mission, illustrating the vulnerability of such dependence. Critics note that Microsoft engineers based in China have maintained Pentagon systems and have reportedly disclosed software flaws to Chinese firms before notifying U.S. authorities, a practice that could enable Chinese state‑backed hackers to target U.S. systems. The FTC’s expanded probe into Microsoft is described as the most serious scrutiny the company has faced in years. Florida legislators have introduced bills to bar Chinese engineers from defense work, to divest state contracts from entities linked to the Chinese military, and to encourage competition in government software procurement. The debate centers on whether the antitrust laws designed to prevent market dominance are being violated by the state’s monopoly on a single technology provider. The FTC’s final decision will determine if the state can diversify its software suppliers and reduce security risk.