Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) on Monday signed a bill that will allow him and other Florida officials to designate certain organizations as terrorist groups and require public universities to expel students found to support them.
The law grants a senior official at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement the ability to recommend whether a group should be labeled a domestic or foreign terrorist organization, which then must be approved by the governor and three other members of Florida’s Cabinet, including the attorney general, chief financial officer, and agriculture commissioner.
Once designated, groups can be dissolved and barred from receiving state funding. Universities also must report students on visas who are expelled under the law to federal immigration authorities.
DeSantis said the measure is intended to protect Floridians and taxpayer dollars from organizations that he views as promoting extremism.
Critics, such as free speech advocacy organization PEN America, argue the law’s language is overly broad and could chill free speech on college campuses. PEN warned the policy could suppress classroom discussion and student protests by penalizing what constitutes “support” for targeted groups.
The legislation follows an executive order DeSantis issued in December 2025, designating the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations — a move that sparked legal challenges and was temporarily blocked by a federal judge.
Neither CAIR nor the Muslim Brotherhood is designated by the U.S. federal government, and civil rights groups have argued that the state-level designation exceeds Florida’s authority and infringes on First Amendment protections.
The signing comes as DeSantis continues to position himself on the national stage by passing legislation in the Sunshine State aligned with Republican objectives nationwide. The governor recently signed a Florida version of the proposed federal SAVE America Act.
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In addition to signing legislation similar to an act that President Donald Trump has made a priority, DeSantis is gaining traction in early polling against the president. DeSantis has a 50.3% approval rating among Florida voters, while Trump sits at 45.6%.
The Florida governor has also toed party lines as the midterm elections loom, saying he is not opposed to straying from his party to support candidates who he deems best for Trump’s home state.
