Florida officials are postponing the enforcement of a new state law that would allow the designation of terrorist organizations while they develop regulations for its implementation, according to a court filing. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement plans to issue regulations governing the designation process, stating that no designations will occur before these regulations are finalized. Attorneys for Governor Ron DeSantis indicated that they could not provide a timeline for the completion of these rules, with an update scheduled for July 22.
This development follows a legal challenge from several nonprofit organizations representing the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), which has sought an emergency injunction to prevent the state from making any designations while the lawsuit is ongoing. The groups argue that they face potential prosecution under the law's broad provisions. A federal judge denied the request for an emergency injunction, stating that more evidence and briefing were necessary to assess whether state officials were proceeding with enforcement.
In the court filing, state attorneys noted that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement intends to establish regulations under the law, and any future designations will only occur after these regulations are finalized. Hina Shamsi, director of the ACLU’s National Security Project, criticized the law, asserting that it violates constitutional rights and lacks a legitimate basis for branding organizations with such severe labels.
Earlier this month, Governor DeSantis announced plans to designate CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood, and antifa as terrorist organizations under the new law, in addition to recognizing over 90 foreign terrorist organizations already designated by the federal government.
The legislation prohibits taxpayer-funded institutions from supporting designated terrorist organizations, establishes new state crimes for providing material support to such groups, and allows for the administrative dissolution of corporations designated as terrorist organizations. This law builds on a December executive order from DeSantis aimed at eliminating what he termed 'radical terrorist ideologies,' which was temporarily blocked by a federal judge in March.