Florida Governor Ron DeSantis and the state Cabinet have formally designated the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa as terrorist organisations under Florida law.
DeSantis announced the decision on September 29, saying the designations followed the implementation of a new state law giving Florida authorities powers to identify and designate domestic and foreign terrorist organisations. More than 90 federally designated foreign terrorist organisations have also been added to Florida’s state list.
“Today we officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood, CAIR and Antifa as terrorist organisations per the anti-sharia law signed earlier this year.”
The move follows months of legal and administrative action. DeSantis initially designated CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood through an executive order in December 2025, but a federal judge later blocked enforcement of that order following a legal challenge by CAIR Florida.
Florida lawmakers subsequently passed HB 1471, establishing a statutory process under which the state’s Chief of Domestic Security, the head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE), can recommend organisations for designation to the governor and Cabinet.
The legislation took effect on July 1, when DeSantis announced his intention to designate CAIR, the Muslim Brotherhood and Antifa. CAIR and its Florida chapter subsequently filed a federal lawsuit challenging the move on constitutional grounds.
The final Cabinet action came after Florida approved rules governing the designation process earlier in September.
CAIR describes itself as a Muslim civil rights and advocacy organisation and has chapters across the United States. The organisation has rejected the allegations underlying Florida’s designation and challenged the state’s action in court. The federal government has not designated CAIR as a terrorist organisation.
Documents presented to the governor and Cabinet cited allegations concerning CAIR’s historical connections to individuals and organisations associated with Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood. They also referred to CAIR’s designation as an unindicted co-conspirator in the Holy Land Foundation case, while noting allegations involving some of the organisation’s founding members.
CAIR’s inclusion in the Holy Land Foundation case has long been cited by critics of the organisation. However, being named as an unindicted co-conspirator did not itself constitute a criminal conviction against CAIR.
Under Florida’s new framework, designated organisations can face restrictions on taxpayer funding, government contracts and other public support. The law also creates penalties for knowingly providing material support to organisations designated under the state system.
The decision represents a significant expansion of Florida’s state-level powers to designate organisations as terrorist groups, separate from the federal US process for designating Foreign Terrorist Organisations.
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