Florida begins using new law to designate organizations as terrorist groups
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Florida has begun using a new state law to identify and designate organizations under a measure aimed at terrorist organizations, Gov. Ron DeSantis announced July 1.
The announcement marked what the governor’s office described as Florida’s first use of authority created by HB 1471. The release said the state designated CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa under the law.
It also said Florida added more than 90 foreign terrorist organizations to its list, including cartels. The governor’s office did not publish the full list in the announcement.
What the state announced
HB 1471 is the statutory vehicle cited in the governor’s release. The administration presented the July 1 action as implementation of that new authority rather than as a proposal for future legislative action.
The announcement names several organizations and says the state included more than 90 foreign terrorist organizations. Because the release describes the total as “more than 90,” it does not give an exact number of foreign organizations added.
The release also connects the policy to restrictions involving foreign influence in public institutions and on campuses. Florida public colleges and universities are among the institutions referenced in the broader policy description.
However, the announcement does not set out which restrictions apply to which institution, organization or campus. It also does not provide implementation rules, a compliance schedule or a list of actions that public institutions must take following the designations.
What remains unspecified
The governor’s office release does not detail the specific legal consequences that apply to each organization named or otherwise included on the state’s list. It likewise does not provide the complete designation list.
That matters because the announcement alone does not establish how the state will apply the law in particular cases. It does not say that every organization included on the list has been found by a court to have committed terrorism.
The available announcement also does not establish that designation automatically criminalizes membership in an organization or speech connected to one. Those questions would require the text of the statute and any implementing rules, neither of which is supplied in the governor’s release.
The administration said it intended to defend constitutional rights while implementing the law. The release does not provide further detail about how that stated commitment will be applied in individual cases.
Who is affected
The state’s announcement directly identifies CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa, while also referring to a larger group of foreign terrorist organizations that includes cartels. Public institutions and campuses are part of the policy area described by the governor’s office because the release links the effort to restrictions on foreign influence.
The release does not include responses from the organizations named in the announcement, civil-liberties groups, colleges or universities, or courts. It also does not describe any pending legal challenge or court ruling concerning the new designations.
What happens next
July 1 is the only implementation date provided in the announcement. No additional deadline, public hearing date or next administrative step is identified in the available release.
For now, the confirmed development is that Florida has announced its first use of HB 1471 authority and identified the organizations and categories described by the governor’s office. Further details about the full list, organization-specific effects and campus-related implementation were not included in the announcement.
Sources
- Governor Ron DeSantis Announces Implementation of Florida Law to Combat Terrorist Organizations, Executive Office of the Governor of Florida
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