DeSantis Signs Law Giving Florida Power to Designate Terrorist Groups

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis signed HB 1471 into law Monday, April 6, giving state officials power to designate both domestic and foreign groups as terrorist organizations—a move legal experts say is unprecedented at the state level. The law allows the chief of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to recommend designations, with final approval from the governor and Cabinet. Once a group receives the label, the consequences are severe: public funding is blocked, universities must prohibit programs supporting the organization, and students found to advocate for designated groups can be expelled from state higher education institutions.[1][3] The legislation also bars courts from applying foreign or religious law, including Sharia law, and bans school vouchers for private schools with ties to designated terrorist organizations—a provision widely perceived as targeting Islamic schools.[3] The House passed the measure on a strictly party-line vote of 80-25, while the Senate approved it 24-9, with two Republicans voting no. A companion bill shields sensitive designation information from public disclosure, raising concerns from Democrats and civil rights advocates that groups could not effectively challenge their designation without access to the basis for it.[3] DeSantis framed the law as "the strongest action Florida has ever taken to protect its people from this influence," but constitutional scholars and advocacy groups have already challenged its legality.[1] The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), one of the nation's most prominent Muslim rights groups, called the law "draconian" and unconstitutional, noting that DeSantis previously signed an executive order designating CAIR as a foreign terrorist organization—an order a federal judge blocked.[4] Legal experts emphasize the law is constitutionally suspect because it lacks the First Amendment protections that constrain federal terrorism designations and creates an unprecedented power for state officials to determine who qualifies as a terrorist.[2] The designation process itself requires groups to meet specific criteria: foreign organizations must already be on the federal government's terrorist list, while domestic groups must engage in "terroristic activity" and pose an ongoing threat to Florida or the country.[3] However, the law does not require the governor to publicly disclose the reasoning behind designations, a provision that legal advocates say strips groups of meaningful due process. CAIR has already obtained a preliminary injunction preventing DeSantis's earlier executive order from taking effect, with the case now headed to the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals.[2]