Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a measure into law Monday that gives Florida leaders the power to label groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations and clear them from state support. Students at state universities who back those groups can be expelled under the new law.
At a news conference in Tampa, DeSantis said, “So this will help the state of Florida protect you.” He added, “It’ll help us protect your tax dollars,” and said it would “help us protect things that should not be happening in the United States of America, but certainly shouldn’t be happening in the free state of Florida.”
The law hands sweeping authority to state officials. A top official at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement can designate a group as a domestic or foreign terrorist organization, and the governor plus three other members of the Florida Cabinet can approve or reject that designation. The Cabinet includes the state attorney general, the chief financial officer and the agriculture commissioner.
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Once a group is designated, it can be dissolved and cut off from state funding through school districts or state agencies. Universities must also report the status of expelled students attending on visas to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
The new law builds on DeSantis’ broader effort to act against groups he views as threats. Last December, he designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations and the Muslim Brotherhoods as foreign terrorist organizations, but a federal judge last month temporarily blocked enforcement of that executive order.
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The measure drew criticism from free speech advocates, including PEN America, which said the language is vague enough to restrict education programs deemed to be promoting terrorism. The group also warned it could target student protesters who criticize Florida officials. William Johnson said, “The implications are fraught.”
That is the tension at the center of the law: DeSantis says it is about safety and public money, but critics see a tool that could reach into classrooms, student protest and campus speech. The law now expands what Florida leaders can do beyond the earlier executive order, and the next test will be how aggressively the state uses that power.
