Florida moved quickly to implement a new state law that grants officials the power to designate organizations as terrorist groups. On Wednesday, Governor Ron DeSantis announced the first slate of targets at a Tampa press conference with FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass and Statewide Prosecutor Brad McVay, just hours after the statute took effect on July 1. The governor said the state is preparing to designate the Muslim Brotherhood, the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), Antifa, cartel-linked groups including Tren de Aragua and Sinaloa-related organizations, and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. "The law takes effect on July 1, today, and so we are not going to waste any time," DeSantis said.
HB 1471, officially titled "Systems of Law and Terrorist Organizations," authorizes Florida's Chief of Domestic Security to recommend designations for domestic or foreign terrorist groups. Those recommendations must then be approved or rejected by the governor and Florida Cabinet by majority vote before they take effect. Designated organizations can face public funding restrictions, possible corporate dissolution in certain circumstances, and penalties tied to material support. According to DeSantis, the designations would affect state and local funding, colleges and universities, and Florida's K-12 school choice scholarship program.
DeSantis presented Wednesday's announcement as a continuation and strengthening of a December executive order that targeted CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood. That earlier action was quickly challenged in federal court, and in March a judge temporarily blocked enforcement after CAIR, CAIR Florida, and civil rights groups sued, claiming it violated constitutional protections. DeSantis said the new law provides better legal footing for the state's efforts. "We did need to have more of a legal structure to be able to add teeth to these designations," he said. Glass echoed this sentiment, saying the law gives the state "more tools in the toolbox."
Attorneys representing CAIR signaled they expect another legal battle. Scott McCoy, deputy legal director of the Southern Poverty Law Center, stated that "regardless of what Gov. DeSantis calls it, the U.S. Constitution is supreme across our nation, including in Florida." He added that on CAIR's behalf, the Southern Poverty Law Center, American Civil Liberties Union, and other partners "look forward to responding in court." The designations remain unofficial until the Cabinet approves them. While no regular Cabinet meeting is scheduled for July, DeSantis indicated officials may convene in an emergency session to approve the designations.