Governor Ron DeSantis has activated Florida’s new statutory authority to designate terrorist organizations under House Bill 1471, which took effect on July 1, 2026. The law empowers the chief of domestic security within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to identify groups that meet the state’s definition of a terrorist organization, with final approval required from the governor and the Cabinet.
Under the provisions of HB 1471, the governor announced the designation of several domestic and foreign groups. He specifically named the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and the antifascist movement known as Antifa as terrorist organizations, adding them to a list that already includes more than 90 foreign terrorist groups.
The foreign designations cited by DeSantis include the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, several Mexican cartels such as Sinaloa, Noreste, and Golfo, and the Tren de Aragua network. These groups were already listed as foreign terrorist organizations by the U.S. government; the state law incorporates those federal designations rather than creating new findings.
DeSantis justified the inclusion of CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood by referencing their historical ties to Hamas and their classification as unindicted co‑conspirators in the 2007 Holy Land Foundation case. He also noted the White House’s 2025 designation of certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as foreign terrorist organizations, which Florida’s action seeks to mirror at the state level.
The Antifa designation follows a similar 2025 federal move that labeled the movement a domestic terrorist group. DeSantis described Antifa as militant leftists whose actions are destructive, asserting that the group meets the state’s criteria for ongoing threats to security.
A December 8, 2025 executive order had previously directed state agencies and local governments to deny contracts, funding, and benefits to CAIR and anyone providing it material support. That order prompted a lawsuit filed by CAIR alongside civil‑rights organizations, which argued the directive constituted unconstitutional viewpoint discrimination and retaliation for protected speech suppression.
In March 2026, a federal judge issued a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of the order, ruling that the governor could not use executive power to impose financial penalties on a group based on its viewpoint. The judge found that CAIR demonstrated a substantial likelihood of success on the merits of its claim.
Civil‑rights leaders praised the injunction as a vindication of constitutional protections, while DeSantis expressed confidence that the state would ultimately prevail in litigation. In response, the Florida Legislature codified the executive order’s intent into HB 1471, establishing a permanent designation process with Cabinet oversight.
The Florida initiative mirrors actions in other states; three weeks prior to the Florida order, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation barring CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood from purchasing land in Texas. While a Texas federal judge later ruled in favor of the governor’s order, the Florida court’s injunction has taken a different legal trajectory, highlighting the divergent outcomes of similar state‑level measures.
