Almost a year ago, there was sort of a little-noticed Xweet from my governor, Ron DeSantis, announcing that he had designated two groups as 'foreign terrorist organizations' by executive order. It directed state agencies to take all the requisite steps that come with that label.
These weren't some tiny, shady agitators, either. DeSantis made a bold statement against what one would assume are probably the two largest Muslim advocacy groups in America - the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). The Florida governor was effectively cutting them out of the government food chain.
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations. Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) December 8, 2025
Florida is designating the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations.
Florida agencies are hereby directed to undertake all lawful measures to prevent unlawful activities by these organizations, including denying privileges or resources to anyone providing material support.
Naturally, one of the organizations went ape, and it wasn't long before a federal judge blocked DeSantis's order based on a lawsuit filed immediately by CAIR. Curiously, the Muslim Brotherhood never responded to the designation. I'd have to assume they thought laying low and letting CAIR take the heat was probably the best policy.
If you don't put yourself out there, you don't invite anyone to crawl up your jubba.
Undeterred, the Florida state legislature gave DeSantis an assist a couple of months later by passing a terrorism statute this past March. Within hours of that law going into effect on the first of July, the governor announced that he was again designating the two groups as 'foreign terrorist organizations' after receiving the requisite recommendation per the new state statute.
In fact, the list of organizations landing on Florida's black list was long and filled with notorious cartels, etc., but those two were the controversial marquee names.
Gov. Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that he has received a recommendation to designate the Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood, and Antifa as domestic terrorist organizations.
He cited authority given to state officials through legislation that had gone into effect just hours earlier.
The law (HB 1471) passed by the Legislature and signed by the governor in March, empowers the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to label organizations as domestic or foreign terrorist groups on evidence they meets specific criteria, including engagement in terrorist activity as defined by Florida law; is based in Florida; and poses an ongoing threat to the security of Florida or the United States.
The measure requires the head of the FDLE (now Mark Glass) to give written notice to the governor and the Cabinet of plans to declare the designation and gives the Cabinet seven days from the date of the receipt of written notice to approve or reject the designation.
Speaking during a press conference held at the Tampa Office of Statewide Prosecution less than 13 hours after the law went into effect, DeSantis said that the state has received recommendations to designate more than 90 groups as foreign terrorist organizations, including but not limited to Cartel de Sinaloa; Tren de Aragua; the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran (IRGC); Cartel del Noreste; and Cartel del Golfo.
Florida Democrats, heavily invested in advancing identity politics in the state over the security concerns of its citizens here, bemoaned the actions of their fellow representatives and the governor.
WAAH - WHAT ABOUT ALL THE INNOCENT MUSLIMS?
DeSantis has his usual no-nonsense answer ready.
...Pinellas County Democratic state Rep. Lindsay Cross wrote on X following the House vote that “placing unilateral power in the hands (of) state officials to designate domestic terrorist organizations is unjust and un-American. I stood against this bill on the House floor and its abuse of executive power in Florida.”
A Phoenix reporter asked DeSantis Wednesday what he thought of Rudman’s qualms that conservatives might think differently of such a law if a Democratic administration was in place.
The governor rejected the idea.
“I think you saw how the Biden administration treated some of those groups, but this is something for public scrutiny,” he said. “Do people dispute that? I mean, clearly, they have goods on this in terms of their operations, not just in the United States but across the world in some of these instances. Are we going to say Tren de Aragua should not be designated? They are a transnational criminal terrorist organization. They’ve killed a lot of people. Are they going to say the IRGC should not be designated?”
“These are common-sense tools. It’s not saying, ‘Oh, some random civic group.’ It’s based on conduct.”
And, on cue, CAIR went to court again, expecting a result similar to the first round. This time they brought besties like the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) and the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along for the ride.
...Speaking on behalf of CAIR, Scott McCoy, the deputy legal director with the Southern Poverty Law Center, provided a written response.
“Regardless of what Gov. DeSantis thinks, the U.S. Constitution is supreme across our nation, including in Florida,” he said. “Gov. DeSantis is seeking to unilaterally silence a leading American civil rights nonprofit and punish those who support it. On CAIR’s behalf, the Southern Poverty Law Center, the American Civil Liberties Union, and our partners look forward to responding in court.”
In December, Hiba Rahim, interim executive director for CAIR Florida, said the DeSantis executive order does “not present facts, it does not cite investigations, it does not point to any criminal findings. It simply declares guilt by proclamation.”
And the Democrats running for state office were all on the 'DeSantis is a racist religious bigot' train as well.
...The Phoenix reached out to José Javier Rodríguez, the Democrat running for attorney general, and Annette Taddeo and Earle Ford, Democrats running for chief financial officer, to get their thoughts on the new law.
Ford calls the legislation, “anti-American and morally wrong.”
“The legislation appears deeply rooted in bigotry and religious targeting,” he told the Phoenix through Facebook Messenger.
In September, DeSantis's cabinet voted to confirm the designations.
Today, Florida drew a line on terrorism. With the Governor and Florida Cabinet, we voted to protect your tax dollars from funding terrorist activity by designating Antifa, the Muslim Brotherhood, and CAIR as terrorist organizations under Florida law. https://t.co/kt48J8JFOC
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) September 29, 2026
CAIR and its partners were still tied up in the throes of a legal battle which turned out to be much more desperate than anyone knew. All in the few months since the first of July.
Thanks to the effects of the restriction of the designation, a little orange sign appeared on the office door of the CAIR Florida headquarters yesterday that, once people read it?
The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) stopped operating in Florida this week, citing fallout from a new state law that designated the group as a domestic terrorist organization.
On Nov. 5, a bright orange notice posted to the front door of the nonprofit's state headquarters in Tampa reads: "We have suspended our operations in Florida because of Governor Ron DeSantis and other state officials' baseless and unconstitutional enforcement of the state's new domestic terrorist organizations laws against us."
The statement, which is the only item currently on CAIR's website, continues, "The ACLU, SPLC, and their partners are representing us in a federal lawsuit challenging this designation on First Amendment and due process grounds."
CAIR Florida spokespeople also pointed WUSF to this statement, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) website for updates on the ongoing legal battle over the new Florida law, HB 1471, that allowed Gov. Ron DeSantis and his cabinet to designate certain groups as "domestic terrorist organizations," effectively defunding and dissolving them.
The law, signed by DeSantis in April, backed an executive order that designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations operating in Florida.
Both the governor's order and the new state law have faced legal challenges from CAIR and other civil rights groups.
Amazing news - CAIR Florida shuts its doors and ceases operations after Governor DeSantis designates them a domestic terror organization in the state. 👏 Kudos @GovRonDeSantis https://t.co/l6NpPcWys9
— StopAntisemitism (@StopAntisemites) November 5, 2026
But they still had their hopes pinned on the courts. After all, they'd always come through for them before.
...In CAIR's latest lawsuit against the state — represented by the ACLU, the Southern Poverty Law Center and Bondurant Mixson & Elmore LLP — the Muslim civil rights organization aims to prove that the state is using its authority to "single out and punish groups — including nonprofits engaged in First Amendment-protected advocacy — that officials unilaterally decide are criminals and security threats," according to a legal summary.
Welp...
SO MUCH FOR THAT
This morning, a federal court upheld Florida’s Domestic Terrorist Organization law and rejected CAIR’s attempt to stop the designations. Great win by our Solicitor General's office and for the people of Florida!
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 5, 2026
The judge didn't actually officially designate CAIR as a terrorist group. What he did do was refuse to undo the state's designation.
The court also denied most of the relief CAIR asked for in its suit.
According to my friend Jane, about the only thing they got was the right to keep talking to their lawyers.
The court did not decide whether CAIR is in fact a terrorist organization. It issued a narrow preliminary injunction blocking the state from enforcing penalties against the provision of legal services to the CAIR groups. In other words, they can still talk to their lawyers.
— Jane Coleman (@JaneBColeman) November 6, 2026
Hence, that 'GOING OUT OF BUSINESS' orange sticker on the door.
CAIR has officially suspended operations in Florida.
— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 5, 2026
It's a good day in the neighborhood and a model for other states going forward...if they have the courage.
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