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Florida’s governor and Cabinet moved this week to brand more than 90 groups as “terrorist organizations” under a new state law. Governor Ron DeSantis led the vote, using recommendations from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to put names like the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) and the Muslim Brotherhood on a domestic list, while also labeling foreign groups such as al‑Qaeda, the Houthis and the IRGC. The designations are set to take effect unless a court stops them.
What the Cabinet actually did
The action was short and decisive. FDLE Commissioner J. Mark Glass delivered a packet that the Cabinet used to justify the moves under HB 1471, the law the Legislature passed to create a process for state designations. The FDLE document claims there is evidence tying some groups to hostile actors, and the state applied a mix of domestic and foreign labels across the long list. The practical upshot: Florida says these groups can be barred from state contracts, grants, scholarships and use of state property.
Legal challenge already in motion
Not surprisingly, CAIR and CAIR‑Florida have sued and civil‑liberties groups are on the case fast. The ACLU and other lawyers say the notice contains no allegation that CAIR did anything violent and will ask a judge for an emergency injunction. This fight is familiar: a federal judge previously blocked an earlier DeSantis executive order that tried a similar move. Expect courtroom fireworks — the state argues it fixed the legal gaps by putting the process into statute, while challengers say HB 1471 still tramples free speech and due process.
Practical power vs. practical limits
The labels give Florida tools: ban contracting, cut off public funding, restrict state partnerships. That sounds strong, and for groups with a real footprint in Florida it will matter. But legality matters, and so do limits. Some legal experts note the state can’t erase federal law or invent crimes by label alone. If the courts act as they did before, many of these penalties could be stopped until judges sort the constitutional questions out. In short: the labels bite only if they survive lawsuits and prove they don’t run roughshod over the Constitution.
Watch the next steps closely. The state published its rule and the designations are slated to take effect on Nov. 5 unless a court blocks them. Lawyers for CAIR say they will move for emergency relief. Conservatives who back DeSantis see this as long overdue hardening of our defenses; civil‑liberties groups see it as government overreach. Either way, the courts will be the referee — and neither side is likely to be satisfied with whatever the judge says next.
