Florida Governor Ron DeSantis took aggressive state-level action on Wednesday by formally classifying several high-profile organizations - including Antifa, the Muslim Brotherhood, and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) - as recognized terrorist entities under Florida law.
The official designations represent the latest step in a sweeping, multi-phase legislative and executive crackdown orchestrated by the governor's office. DeSantis linked the administrative actions directly to ongoing regulatory efforts targeting ideological extremism across the state.
“Last December, I signed an Executive Order to eliminate the influence of radical terrorist ideologies and the organizations that promote them in Florida. This year, I signed legislation to strengthen those protections and give Florida permanent statutory tools to combat terrorism while defending the constitutional rights of our citizens," DeSantis explained.
The newly enacted framework significantly broadens the state's reach, combining prominent domestic activist networks and Islamic advocacy groups alongside a massive roster of international criminal and militant networks.
“Today, we are officially designating terrorist organizations under Florida law," he said. “In addition to CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood, we are adding Antifa to the list, along with more than 90 Foreign Terrorist Organizations, including cartels."
The state's move triggered immediate legal retaliation. On the exact same day the registry was unveiled, national representatives from CAIR joined forces with their regional chapter, CAIR Florida, to lodge a formal complaint in the US District Court for the Northern District of Florida.
The emergency civil rights lawsuit seeks an immediate judicial injection to halt the enforcement of the state's new blacklisting powers. In their legal filings, the advocacy group challenged the constitutional validity of the blacklisting mechanism, arguing that the administration's protocol did not give the group “a meaningful opportunity to challenge the designation before a neutral decisionmaker."
DeSantis’ announcement in December came after Texas Governor Greg Abbott also designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.
The designation authorizes heightened enforcement against both organizations and their affiliates and prohibits them from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas.
Previously, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order beginning the official process to designate certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).
In January, the United States designated the Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as specially designated global terrorists, citing their support for the Hamas terrorist organization.