DeSantis Signs Florida Law to Designate Domestic Terror Groups

TAMPA, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis signed House Bill 1471 on Monday at the University of South Florida's Gibbons Alumni Center, granting the governor and state Cabinet authority to designate domestic and foreign terrorist organizations on recommendations from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement chief. The law, which passed the House 80-25 in early March and the Senate 25-11 the prior week, takes effect July 1 and codifies a December 2025 executive order naming the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist groups—a move blocked last month by a federal judge as unconstitutional.[1][3][4] Lt. Gov. Jay Collins, speaking at the Tampa signing, promised strict enforcement: "Material support, now a felony. To give money, guns or military training to those savages is a felony. Join them with intent to spill blood, also a felony." The bill adds Senate amendments allowing expulsion of state university students who promote designated groups and prohibits courts from enforcing religious laws, targeting Sharia.[1][2] HB 1471 further blocks scholarship funds and taxpayer dollars to schools affiliated with terrorist organizations, ensuring no public support for entities DeSantis linked to past terror financing. "We will designate, defund and dissolve people who don't stand for our values," Collins declared, framing the law as a bulwark for the 'Free State of Florida.'[1][3]