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Governor Ron DeSantis has moved from talking tough to using a new law that lets Florida label groups as terrorist organizations. He announced the state will begin the process under HB 1471 to name CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, and Antifa among those groups. This is the fast break play conservatives have wanted on paper — and the left is already sharpening its legal knives.
What DeSantis actually announced: CAIR, Antifa, Muslim Brotherhood on the list
The heart of the announcement is simple and procedural: HB 1471 created a state process for designating domestic and foreign terrorist organizations, and the governor says Florida will use that new authority. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, led by Commissioner Mark Glass, makes recommendations, and the Governor and the Florida Cabinet — including Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Commissioner of Agriculture Wilton Simpson — must vote to approve any designation. DeSantis announced the intent to recommend CAIR, Antifa and the Muslim Brotherhood, plus more than 90 foreign groups and cartels, as covered by the new statute.
Why this matters: public safety vs. speech fights
Supporters will call this common-sense public-safety policy. If state officials can point to groups that harm safety or support violence, then the state can block them from getting state contracts, enforce criminal penalties for material support, and even seek dissolution of harmful corporate entities. Critics rightly warn the law could chill speech and association. That’s why courts will now have to sort whether Florida is targeting real lawbreaking or merely unpopular politics and protest.
The legal scrap is already on
Predictably, civil-rights groups including the ACLU and others filed a federal lawsuit challenging Florida’s plan, arguing HB 1471 violates the First Amendment and lacks due process. This follows a prior win in court where a federal judge enjoined Governor DeSantis’ earlier executive order that attempted similar designations. So expect fast, high-stakes litigation. Plaintiffs will ask judges to block enforcement, and the state will argue it has the authority to defend Floridians from threats that matter locally.
What to watch next — politics, courts, and campus fallout
The next big moments are the Cabinet vote on the FDLE recommendations and the court’s response to the emergency filings. If the Cabinet signs off, the designations will face immediate legal challenges and likely preliminary injunction motions. Watch for how universities, nonprofits, and state agencies react — the law can ripple into contract eligibility, campus groups, and scholarship rules. For conservatives who want to protect communities from violence and foreign influence, this is a test: stand by a law that tries to target real threats, or cede the field to lawyers and civil-liberties scare lines. Either way, the fight over HB 1471 will define who gets to decide what counts as dangerous speech and dangerous action in Florida for years to come.
