Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet voted Tuesday to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Brotherhood and more than 90 other organizations as terrorist groups under Florida law. The vote took place on Sept. 29, 2026.
According to a more than 400-page agenda prepared for the vote, Florida officials alleged that there is substantial evidence that CAIR is engaging in terrorist activity and cited alleged connections between the organization and Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The document also referenced CAIR’s designation as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing trial. These are claims made by Florida officials and should be distinguished from findings established by a court.
The designation was made under new powers granted to the governor and Florida Cabinet through legislation signed earlier this year. The law allows the state to designate organizations as terrorist groups and provides for restrictions including the withholding of certain state funding and contracts. It also establishes procedures that can lead to the dissolution of designated organizations and creates criminal penalties for knowingly providing material support or resources to them.
The measure also affects Florida’s public educational institutions. Under the law, public colleges, universities and other publicly funded institutions are restricted from using public resources to support or promote designated organizations, while students who promote such groups can face expulsion from Florida’s university system.
CAIR describes itself as a Muslim civil-rights organization and states that it has never been charged with a crime. The organization is challenging Florida’s actions in federal court with representation from the American Civil Liberties Union.
The ACLU has argued that Florida’s designation system is unconstitutional and that there are no legitimate grounds for applying the designation to CAIR and its Florida chapter. The organization is seeking to prevent the state from enforcing the new terrorism-designation regime.
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier defended the action, saying the state would use the new law to restrict government support for organizations it identifies as terrorist groups. The administration has argued that the designations are intended to prevent terrorist organizations from receiving public funding or gaining influence within Florida institutions.
The vote also included designations for organizations already listed by the U.S. State Department as foreign terrorist organizations, including al-Qaeda, the Houthis and the Continuity Irish Republican Army.
According to the ACLU, the new designations are scheduled to take effect on Nov. 5, 2026, unless they are blocked by a court before then. The legal challenges are expected to continue as the parties dispute the constitutionality and enforcement of Florida’s new terrorism-designation framework.
Credit: JNS
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