Florida Moves to Label 90-Plus Groups Terrorist Organizations as CAIR and ACLU Threaten Court Fight
Updated
Updated · Fox News · Jul 2
Florida Moves to Label 90-Plus Groups Terrorist Organizations as CAIR and ACLU Threaten Court Fight
3 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jul 2
Summary
HB 1471 took effect Wednesday, and Ron DeSantis said Florida will seek to designate more than 90 groups — including CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa — under a new state terrorism law.
The law lets Florida's chief of domestic security make designations, but the governor and Cabinet must approve them before they are published and take legal effect.
The measure bars public support and taxpayer funding for designated groups and creates state criminal penalties for knowingly providing material support or resources to them.
CAIR, which says it has never engaged in terrorist activity or been charged with a crime, called the move unconstitutional; the ACLU said it would ask courts to protect First Amendment speech and association.
The designations would apply only under Florida law, not the federal foreign-terrorist list, as DeSantis frames the effort as an anti-extremism crackdown and critics call it politically motivated.