Groups, organizations can be defined as terrorists under new Florida law

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(The Center Square) – Florida officials will now have power to designate groups as terrorist organizations under a bill signed into law Monday.

House Bill 1471 allows the Chief of Domestic Security at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to make a foreign or domestic terrorist designation if certain conditions are met. The designation is contingent upon approval of the governor and Cabinet.

“To uphold the rule of law, our state must operate under one legal system, the Constitution must remain the law of the land, and we must defend our institutions from those who would harm us – especially terrorist organizations that seek to infiltrate and subvert our education system,” said second-term Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis. “HB1471 reinforces these principles in Florida.”

Under the bill, courts are prohibited from applying foreign or religious laws like Sharia law, if they violate constitutional rights.

It also sets up a framework where students can be expelled if they are found to be promoting a designated terrorist organization. Additionally, grants and other state funds can be denied for students promoting terrorist organizations.

Funds can also be denied for schools if they promote, support or maintain any programs on campus that promote terrorist organizations or a person who is providing support to such organizations.

The bill expands provisions related to “disruptive activities” by students and requires public universities to report the current status of a student attending on a student visa if that student promotes terrorist organizations.

Disruptive activities include making a statement that approves of a terrorist organization’s “extralegal violence” that can be interpreted as a true threat, disrupting the learning environment, and invading the rights of others.

The governor’s office said the bill is meant to increase accountability in education and prevent taxpayer funds from promoting terrorist groups.

The bill cleared its final hurdle in the House 80-25 with some lawmakers like Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, calling it “a clear violation of the First Amendment.”

“This bill allows the governor to label organizations and speech they do not like as 'terrorist organizations' – and then expel students, defund schools, and more because of it,” Eskamani said. “It raises serious concerns about government overreach, the potential for politically motivated targeting, and insufficient transparency and accountability in how individuals or organizations could be labeled as threats. Public safety must always be balanced with the protection of civil liberties. We should be investing in strategies that keep Floridians safe without undermining constitutional rights or creating mechanisms that will be misused against communities, advocates, or political opponents.”

The bill provides a process by which an organization can challenge being designated as a terrorist organization by petitioning the Department of Law Enforcement to remove the designation. The governor and cabinet may also remove the designation by a majority vote.

The law takes effect in July.