Gov. Ron DeSantis signed legislation Monday that allows Florida officials to designate domestic terrorist organizations, marking a significant expansion of state power that civil liberties advocates warn could chill free speech and target minority communities.
The bill (HB 1471) passed the House 80-25 in early March, according to Florida House records. The Senate approved the bill 25-11 the following week, per Senate voting records. The law goes into effect July 1.
Under the new statute, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement commissioner may recommend that an organization be designated as a domestic terrorist group if they determine an entity operating in the state is engaged in terrorist activity. The governor and cabinet must approve the determination by majority vote.
That recommendation must be submitted in written form by the FDLE commissioner. Within seven days after the terrorist designation is approved by the governor and cabinet, the commissioner must publish notice of that designation in the Florida Administrative Register.
The legislation carries severe consequences for designated groups. Once designated, these organizations are subject to strict prohibitions, including bans on public funding and support, and individuals who provide material support face significant criminal penalties. Institutions that violate these provisions may face loss of state funding, and students who promote terrorist violence may face disciplinary action.
“To uphold the rule of law, our state must operate under one legal system, the Constitution must remain the law of the land, and we must defend our institutions from those who would harm us—especially terrorist organizations that seek to infiltrate and subvert our education system,” DeSantis said during Monday’s signing ceremony.
The law emerged as DeSantis backed a December executive order that declared two Islamic groups, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, as terrorist organizations. However, that executive order was blocked last month by a federal judge in the Northern District of Florida, who ruled it violated due process rights.
Civil rights groups have mounted fierce opposition to the measure. The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has been particularly vocal, with the organization holding multiple press conferences this week to denounce the law.
“Governor DeSantis has effectively authorized the construction of police state infrastructure designed to bypass the judiciary and silence the voices of Florida’s minority communities and political dissenters,” said Wilfredo Amr Ruiz, CAIR-Florida’s communications director, during a Tuesday press conference.
Omar Saleh, a CAIR-Florida attorney, characterized the law as political weaponization. “This is just another attempt to eliminate our due process in the Constitution and weaponize state power,” he said. “This bill is not about safety or making anybody safer. It’s about giving the governor the power to use the word ‘terrorism’ as a label to politically wield it against anybody he doesn’t like.”
The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida also condemned the measure in a written statement, saying the bill would “threaten First Amendment freedoms and due process for people across our state.”
Legal experts have raised concerns about the legislation’s constitutional implications. “This type of designation process raises serious due process concerns,” said Clay Calvert, a University of Florida law professor who specializes in First Amendment issues. “The potential for political targeting of unpopular groups is significant.”
The controversy extends beyond Muslim organizations. Representatives from Christian and Jewish groups and progressive advocates warned during Tuesday’s news conference that the law could reach beyond its stated targets. “Today it may be about Muslims, Palestinian advocates, immigrants, students, and nonprofits,” said Rev. Andy Oliver of the Allendale United Methodist Church in St. Petersburg, who attended the CAIR press conference.
The law also contains provisions beyond terrorism designations. HB 1471 reinforces that Florida courts may not apply or enforce foreign or religious law if doing so would violate constitutional rights. The legislation also blocks foreign judgments, contracts, or legal provisions that attempt to bypass those protections.
Constitutional law scholars have raised concerns about the breadth of the legislation. “The language within the bill is such that it could be used for political purposes,” said Jasmine McNealy, a University of Florida journalism professor who studies media law and policy. “Any group could be surveilled under this framework.”
DeSantis said he expects the law to face legal challenges but expressed confidence in its constitutionality. The governor also indicated readiness to implement the new powers quickly, mentioning Antifa and Tren de Aragua, a transnational Venezuelan gang, as groups that could potentially face designation.
The legislation represents part of a broader national trend of state governments seeking expanded powers to combat what they characterize as domestic terrorism threats. Similar measures have been introduced in other states, though Florida’s version grants particularly broad discretion to executive branch officials.
The organizations targeted by the December executive order have vowed to continue their legal challenges. CAIR said it does not expect to be designated a domestic terrorist organization under the new law but is prepared to file another lawsuit if that happens.
As the law prepares to take effect in July, civil rights organizations are mobilizing legal challenges while state officials begin developing implementation procedures for the new designation process.