TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) — Governor Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved an emergency rule Friday to carry out a new state law allowing Florida to designate organizations as terrorist groups — but the effort is already facing pushback over constitutional rights.
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The vote came shortly before state leaders reflected on 25 years since the September 11 terror attacks.
Under the process approved Friday, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement proposes a designation. Groups that receive notice have seven days to object in writing. The governor and Cabinet then decide. An approved designation takes effect 30 days after publication in the state's administrative register. The label restricts public funding and government contracts for designated organizations, and groups can challenge designations in court.
"This provides an appropriate framework where the state can take action appropriately to be able to defend the people of Florida," DeSantis said.
DeSantis has previously named the targets he has in mind, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the anti-fascism movement Antifa, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR.
"We've got to draw a very strong line in the sand here. We've seen this creep throughout the country over many, many years," DeSantis said.
CAIR has previously accused DeSantis of unfairly targeting Muslim Floridians. At an earlier Capitol appearance, CAIR Florida leader Hiba Rahim framed the fight around their rights.
"I'm here to exercise my American rights, to protest, to oppose, to support, to advocate," Rahim said.
CAIR's legal team, which includes the Southern Poverty Law Center and the ACLU, says it is still determining what the new rule means. The courts appear likely to determine what happens next.
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