Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced Wednesday that his administration would invoke a new state law, HB 1471, to formally designate numerous organisations as terrorist entities as part of his stated effort to combat Islamic extremism in Florida. The law, which took effect on the announcement date, establishes a state mechanism for classifying groups as terrorist organisations and includes provisions to penalise universities that provide support to such designated entities.

The proposed designations require approval from the Florida Cabinet before taking effect and trigger a formal review process through which the affected organisations can mount legal challenges. The move expands state authority into terrorism classification, a domain traditionally regulated at the federal level, and has already prompted legal objections from at least one targeted group.