Florida Governor Ron DeSantis revealed on Wednesday the state's intention to classify numerous organizations as terrorist entities under a recently enacted state law. This initiative, which requires final endorsement from the Florida Cabinet, has already prompted legal objections from some of the targeted groups. The legislation, House Bill 1471, became effective on the same day as the governor's announcement, having been signed into law earlier this year.
New Legislation and Authority
Governor DeSantis stated that Florida plans to utilize its new statutory powers to "identify, designate, and combat terrorist organizations operating in Florida." This marks the initial application of the authorities established by the new legislation. State officials intend to propose designations for more than 90 groups. Among those slated for classification as terrorist organizations are the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and Antifa. These proposed designations must receive approval from both the governor and the Florida Cabinet before they are officially finalized under the statute.
The process outlined in HB 1471 specifies that the Chief of Domestic Security may initially designate qualifying organizations as either domestic or foreign terrorist groups. Subsequently, the governor and the Cabinet will vote to approve or reject these designations by a majority. Approved classifications will then be published in the Florida Administrative Register.
Several foreign organizations are also included in the proposed list, such as the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and various criminal organizations like the Cartel de Sinaloa, Tren de Aragua, Cartel del Noreste, and Cartel del Golfo.
Official Statements and Rationale
In a public statement, Governor DeSantis elaborated on the state's commitment to this effort:
"Last December, I signed an Executive Order to eliminate the influence of radical terrorist ideologies and the organizations that promote them in Florida. This year, I signed legislation to strengthen those protections and give Florida permanent statutory tools to combat terrorism while defending the Constitutional rights of our citizens. Today, we are officially designating terrorist organizations under Florida law. In addition to CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, we are adding Antifa to the list—along with more than 90 Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including cartels."
Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass underscored the importance of identifying threats to public safety. "Keeping our community safe starts with identifying the threat," Commissioner Glass remarked. He added, "The safety of our community is strengthened by that knowledge every day, and reinforced by the collaboration between our officers, our federal partners, and—most importantly—the people we serve."
Impact of the New Law
House Bill 1471 mandates that state agencies deny public support and taxpayer funding to groups designated under the new law. The legislation also establishes state-level enforcement mechanisms and criminal penalties for individuals who provide material support to these classified terrorist organizations.
Specifically, the law restricts access to certain public benefits, funding, and institutional support for designated groups. It also criminalizes the act of knowingly providing, attempting to provide, or conspiring to provide material support or resources to a designated domestic terrorist organization. Furthermore, the legislation ensures that foreign or religious legal codes cannot supersede the U.S. Constitution or the Florida Constitution within state courts.
Legal Challenges and Criticisms
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a prominent Muslim civil rights advocacy group, immediately condemned the state's initiative following the governor's announcement. CAIR asserted its commitment to challenging the state’s actions, stating that the organization does not engage in "terrorist activity" and has never been charged or convicted of any crime. This is not the first legal confrontation, as CAIR and CAIR-Florida previously filed a lawsuit regarding Governor DeSantis’s December executive order, which similarly targeted CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood.
In a statement, CAIR articulated its position:
"Throughout CAIR’s long history, our civil rights organization has worked to protect the Constitution’s guarantees of free speech, religious freedom and equality under the law. We have also pursued justice for all people, including American Muslims impacted by hate. This is exactly why Gov. DeSantis has repeatedly targeted our organization. We see through Gov. DeSantis’ latest biased attempt to punish us for our views and our values. We look forward to fighting these baseless attacks in court and proving once again that the Constitution is stronger than any politician’s bigotry."
Critics, including CAIR and various civil liberties organizations, contend that these designations are politically motivated and pose a threat to speech and association rights protected under the First Amendment. Conversely, Governor DeSantis and other state officials maintain that the law's objective is to prevent taxpayer funds from supporting groups they assert promote or endorse terrorism.
Both CAIR and civil liberties advocates have indicated their intent to contest the designations, labeling them as unfounded and unconstitutional. Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, commented on the gravity of the situation:
"Florida’s imminent designation of our clients is both dire and unmoored from reality. CAIR and CAIR-Florida’s speech and advocacy are protected by the First Amendment, which includes their right to criticize the governor, other officials, and their policies. We’re asking the court to protect our clients’ cardinal freedoms."
It is important to note that these designations, if ultimately approved by the Florida Cabinet, would operate strictly under Florida law. They are distinct from a federal foreign terrorist organization designation, which is a separate classification made by the U.S. State Department.