(The Center Square) – Florida’s chief of domestic security would have the authority to designate a group as a domestic or foreign terrorist organization if certain conditions are met, under legislation that cleared the House and the Senate.
The bill states that an organization could be designated as a domestic terrorist organization if it is based in or operates in Florida or the U.S., if it is engaging in terrorist activity as defined in Florida statute and if the activity is an ongoing threat to the security of Florida or the U.S.
Florida’s chief of domestic security would be required to provide written notice to the governor and cabinet that they intend to make the designation, at which point the governor and cabinet would have the authority to approve or reject the designation, according to the legislation. The chief of domestic security is a position currently held by Mark Glass, head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, who was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.
Schools that receive public funds must comply with new requirements or face potential loss of funding, according to the legislation. Students could also face repercussions like expulsion or becoming ineligible for certain public funds if they are found to be supporting or promoting a designated terrorist organization.
The measure passed the Senate by a 25-11 vote last week following Democrats’ concerns over First Amendment protections and whether too much power would be given to a few elected officials.
“A new state law that grants a small group of executive officials the power to brand organizations as terrorists and then purports to criminalize associations with them would dangerously expand state powers to target Floridians who disagree with the government and subject them to unjustified surveillance, investigation and criminal and civil punishments,” Senate Democratic Leader Lori Burman said.
Sen. Erin Grall, a Republican from Fort Pierce, said the First Amendment was taken into account and made a priority when filing the bill.
“This bill isn’t about one person’s opinion of what is terrorism versus another person’s opinion of terrorism. That is defined in Florida statute,” Grall said. “We have not touched the definition of terrorism. It is one that is consistent with the federal definition, it’s consistent with what we use with regard to the definition of foreign terrorist organizations.”
