Florida governor signs law allowing Republicans to designate terrorist organizations

DeSantis signed HB 1471, allowing Florida to designate groups as domestic terrorist organizations , expanding executive power over dissent and sparking civil liberties concerns.

Objective Facts

On April 6, Gov. DeSantis signed HB 1471, allowing the state to designate certain groups as domestic terrorist organizations . The designation process begins with a recommendation from the state's chief of domestic security (head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement), which must then be approved by the governor and the three members of the Florida Cabinet (the agriculture commissioner, the chief financial officer, and attorney general), and within seven days must be published in the Florida Administrative Register . The new law bans public school vouchers for private schools with affiliations to a designated foreign or domestic terrorist organization, which was widely perceived to be a possible mechanism to block school voucher funding to Islamic private schools . The law seeks to codify DeSantis's December executive order designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, after a federal judge temporarily blocked that order in March . Omar Saleh, lead attorney of CAIR Florida, condemned the law as an attempt to eliminate due process and weaponize state power .

Left-Leaning Perspective

CAIR Florida's lead attorney Omar Saleh condemned the law as an attempt to eliminate due process in the Constitution and weaponize state power, saying it's about giving the governor power to use 'terrorism' as a label to politically wield against anybody he doesn't like. Jasmine McNealy, a University of Florida law professor studying privacy and communities, said the new law is overly broad because the language could be used for political purposes and any group could be surveilled. Free speech group PEN America said the measure could chill free speech by placing unprecedented pressure on individuals, with Florida director William Johnson warning the new law could chill education at every level with fraught implications. Left-leaning outlets emphasize the law's vagueness and lack of oversight; what they downplay is any legitimate state interest in counterterrorism or the fact that groups can challenge designations in court within 30 days.

Right-Leaning Perspective

Rep. Hillary Cassel (R-Hollywood), a bill sponsor, defended the law as targeting conduct not belief and protecting free speech, religious liberty and due process, noting that advocacy, lobbying, litigating, protesting, and organizing do not meet the terrorism definition. Lt. Gov. Jay Collins emphasized harsh penalties, saying we will designate, defund and dissolve people who don't stand for our values, and material support is now a felony to give money, guns or military training. DeSantis emphasized in an official press statement that to uphold the rule of law, the state must defend institutions from terrorist organizations that seek to infiltrate and subvert the education system, and HB 1471 reinforces these principles. Right-leaning coverage emphasizes protecting taxpayers and education from extremism; what they downplay is the lack of legislative oversight and the historical context of targeting civil rights organizations under the guise of public safety.

Deep Dive

The law codifies DeSantis's December 2025 executive order designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, after federal Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against that order in March 2026, writing that it violated CAIR's rights by targeting and threatening those who provide material support. Legal experts warn the law faces preemption challenges under the Supreme Court's decision in Crosby v. National Foreign Trade Council, and defining groups as foreign terrorist organizations distinct from those designated at the federal level trenches on federal authority. What Republicans get right is that states have traditional police power over crime and public safety, and the federal government already designates foreign terrorist organizations. What they understate is the fact that there has never been a legal schema to designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations, and in the second Trump era, this firewall is being actively dismantled. What Democrats get right is that the bill doesn't include any method for oversight of how groups would be designated as terrorist organizations, either by the courts or by Florida's legislature. What they may understate is that the law does provide a 30-day court challenge window. Looking ahead, two coalitions of advocacy groups have already filed separate suits over the new Florida law, and the July 1 implementation date will trigger immediate litigation on First Amendment and equal protection grounds.

OBJ SPEAKING

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Florida governor signs law allowing Republicans to designate terrorist organizations

DeSantis signed HB 1471, allowing Florida to designate groups as domestic terrorist organizations , expanding executive power over dissent and sparking civil liberties concerns.

Apr 6, 2026· Updated Apr 9, 2026
What's Going On

On April 6, Gov. DeSantis signed HB 1471, allowing the state to designate certain groups as domestic terrorist organizations . The designation process begins with a recommendation from the state's chief of domestic security (head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement), which must then be approved by the governor and the three members of the Florida Cabinet (the agriculture commissioner, the chief financial officer, and attorney general), and within seven days must be published in the Florida Administrative Register . The new law bans public school vouchers for private schools with affiliations to a designated foreign or domestic terrorist organization, which was widely perceived to be a possible mechanism to block school voucher funding to Islamic private schools . The law seeks to codify DeSantis's December executive order designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, after a federal judge temporarily blocked that order in March . Omar Saleh, lead attorney of CAIR Florida, condemned the law as an attempt to eliminate due process and weaponize state power .

Left says: Left-wing critics, including CAIR Florida attorney Omar Saleh, say the bill eliminates due process and weaponizes state power, arguing it's about giving the governor power to label any group he doesn't like as terrorists, not about safety.
Right says: Republicans argue the law targets conduct, not ideology, and protects free speech by excluding advocacy, lobbying, and protesting from the terrorism definition, while ensuring taxpayer dollars don't support terrorism.
✓ Common Ground
Several voices across the political spectrum acknowledge the law will face legal challenges in court, with DeSantis himself saying he expects legal challenges and constitutional scholars from across the ideological spectrum pointing to potential First Amendment vulnerabilities.
Both supporters and critics recognize the law specifically targets Muslim organizations and concerns about Islam, as evidenced by Lt. Gov. Collins praising restrictions on Sharia Law and DeSantis calling it the most robust action against Sharia of any state, while critics argue this reveals the law's discriminatory intent.
Objective Deep Dive

The law codifies DeSantis's December 2025 executive order designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, after federal Judge Mark Walker issued a preliminary injunction against that order in March 2026, writing that it violated CAIR's rights by targeting and threatening those who provide material support. Legal experts warn the law faces preemption challenges under the Supreme Court's decision in Crosby v. National Foreign Trade Council, and defining groups as foreign terrorist organizations distinct from those designated at the federal level trenches on federal authority. What Republicans get right is that states have traditional police power over crime and public safety, and the federal government already designates foreign terrorist organizations. What they understate is the fact that there has never been a legal schema to designate domestic groups as terrorist organizations, and in the second Trump era, this firewall is being actively dismantled. What Democrats get right is that the bill doesn't include any method for oversight of how groups would be designated as terrorist organizations, either by the courts or by Florida's legislature. What they may understate is that the law does provide a 30-day court challenge window. Looking ahead, two coalitions of advocacy groups have already filed separate suits over the new Florida law, and the July 1 implementation date will trigger immediate litigation on First Amendment and equal protection grounds.

◈ Tone Comparison

Left-leaning outlets use blunt language describing the law as xenophobic, with one source pointing to DeSantis's statement that we have got to stop importing people that reject the values of this country. Right-leaning speakers employ charged rhetoric, with Lt. Gov. Collins calling supporters savages and saying material support is a felony and joining them with intent to spill blood is also a felony.