The executive order also targets the Muslim Brotherhood and restricts state dealings with both groups.
TALLAHASSEE, FL — Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed an executive order this week declaring the Council on American-Islamic Relations a “foreign terrorist organization,” a move he said would take effect immediately and direct state agencies to limit the group’s access to contracts, funding and employment.
DeSantis’ order escalates a growing state-level push to police organizations accused of ties to extremist groups, and it arrives as Florida lawmakers weigh whether to codify the designation in statute in the coming legislative session. CAIR, a national Muslim civil rights group with a Florida chapter, called the order defamatory and unconstitutional and said it will sue. The governor’s action also names the Muslim Brotherhood and instructs Florida’s domestic security council to recommend further steps by early January, setting the stage for a fast-moving court fight and political showdown.
According to the order, signed in Tallahassee on Mon., Dec. 8, the state is designating CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations “for the purpose of this Executive Order.” It cites federal court records from a 2009 case as evidence of alleged associations with Hamas and states that individuals linked to the groups have faced terrorism-related convictions. The directive tells the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Highway Patrol to take “all lawful measures” to prevent the designated organizations’ unlawful activity. At a news conference, DeSantis said the action would be followed by legislation and welcomed litigation that could open discovery into the groups’ operations. “They have every right to sue,” he said, adding that the state was prepared to defend the order in court.
CAIR officials rejected the allegations and said the designation is rooted in politics, not evidence. Hiba Rahim, interim executive director for CAIR-Florida, told reporters in Tampa that the order aims to chill speech and stigmatize Muslims who have criticized U.S. policy in the Middle East. The group said it is not on any federal terrorism list and noted that only the U.S. government can formally designate foreign terrorist organizations under federal law. Civil liberties attorneys questioned whether a state can create a parallel terrorism list and warned of due process concerns if agencies deny contracts or jobs on the basis of a governor’s order. The Florida directive also instructs agencies, unless barred by law, to deny benefits or privileges to entities or people who provide material support to the designated groups, raising questions about how the policy will be implemented.
The order is part of a broader chain of events since Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023 attack on Israel, which led to war in Gaza and reverberated across U.S. politics. Republican governors have pressed for tougher measures against groups they say have ties to extremism; last month, Texas issued a similar designation, which CAIR is challenging in federal court. DeSantis’ order references the Muslim Brotherhood’s history and claims of organizational links to Hamas, and asserts that networked chapters and front groups have raised money in the United States. CAIR, founded in 1994, says its mission is to protect civil rights and empower American Muslims, and disputes any link to terrorism. The federal government has not designated either CAIR or the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.
The four-page Florida order sets deadlines and assigns tasks. The Domestic Security Oversight Council must review current statutes and recommend additional actions by Jan. 6, 2026. State agencies are told to screen dealings with the named organizations and with any person “known to have provided material support” to them. The governor’s office posted the document online and amplified it on social media. DeSantis said Attorney General James Uthmeier was “ready, willing and able” to defend the action. The Department of Law Enforcement did not provide details on how it would identify covered entities or what guidance agencies will use to determine whether a vendor or employee has provided “material support,” a term typically defined in federal criminal law.
Florida’s move drew quick responses across the state. CAIR-Florida announced plans to file suit and held a news conference where staff described harassment and heightened fear among mosque-goers since the announcement. Muslim community leaders said they worried about spillover effects on interfaith programs, security training and legal aid that often involve partnerships with local governments. A handful of Republican lawmakers praised the order and said they were drafting a bill to codify the designations and address what one House member called “the creep of sharia law” in state systems. Democratic lawmakers and several legal scholars criticized the claims about state authority and said the order could fail in court, but urged agencies to seek clarity before cutting off existing contracts or programs.
Florida has periodically adopted terrorism-related measures after major attacks abroad and at home, and governors have used executive power to shape security policy. But a direct designation of a national advocacy group as a terrorist organization is rare and likely to test the boundary between state and federal roles. The U.S. State Department maintains the federal list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations, which carries immigration and criminal consequences that a state cannot impose on its own. In past disputes, courts have scrutinized state actions that mirror federal national-security designations. The Texas case, still in early stages, could produce rulings that influence how Florida’s policy is judged, particularly on First Amendment, due process and preemption grounds.
Next steps will unfold on two tracks. In courts, CAIR-Florida plans to file its complaint in the coming days, seeking to block enforcement while the case proceeds. In the Capitol, lawmakers are expected to debate bills early in the 2026 session that would formalize the designations and set procedures for agency screening and appeals. The Domestic Security Oversight Council’s report is due in early January, and agencies may begin revising procurement and hiring policies to reflect the order. Any statutory changes would likely face committee hearings before floor votes. Meanwhile, local governments and school districts are asking for guidance on how the order affects existing memorandums of understanding, volunteer programs and vendor contracts.
As of Wednesday evening, the governor’s office said the order remains in force statewide. CAIR’s national and Florida leaders said their lawsuit will challenge the factual claims and the state’s authority to make the designation. Legal filings and leg