Tallahassee, FL — Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet have approved designating more than 100 organizations as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations under a new state law that gives Florida officials broad authority to impose penalties on designated groups and their supporters.
The list includes antifa, the Council on American-Islamic Relations, CAIR-Florida and the Muslim Brotherhood. Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass said the organizations met the statutory criteria, and DeSantis said he approved the recommendations without objection from Cabinet members.
The designations stem from HB 1471, which took effect July 1. The law authorizes Florida’s chief of domestic security to make terrorism designations, subject to approval by the governor and Cabinet. It also creates penalties involving material support, organizational membership, state funding and participation in public education.
CAIR and CAIR-Florida have challenged the law in federal court, arguing that it violates First Amendment protections and provides inadequate safeguards before an organization can receive a designation carrying serious legal consequences.
The ACLU said CAIR was denied a meaningful opportunity to address the Cabinet before Tuesday’s vote. Florida officials argue that the law includes notice and an appeals process. The designations are scheduled to take effect Nov. 5 unless a court intervenes.
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