Officials from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) Florida came to Tallahassee Monday to speak with lawmakers about pending legislation during the annual “Muslim Day” at the Capitol, but found conditions far different than in the past.
That’s because in December, Gov. Ron DeSantis issued an executive order designating CAIR a “terrorist organization.” The group immediately denied the accusation and filed a federal lawsuit, asking the court to block the executive order and declare it unconstitutional. The case is set for oral arguments on CAIR Florida’s motion for injunctive relief on Feb. 27.
Turning up the heat Monday was Florida Attorney James Uthmeier, who posted a message on social media shortly before the press conference saying he had asked law enforcement to be “on heightened alert for any possible security threats.”
At least seven members of the Florida Capitol Police stood sentry in the rotunda of the Capitol as the press conference took place — as noted by one lawmaker who spoke.
“The fact that we have massive amount of security today is unreal to me,” said Jacksonville Democratic Rep. Angie Nixon. “These are your brothers. Your neighbors. Your sisters. Your friends. They deserve compassion. They deserve to be treated with respect and dignity.”
CAIR Florida’s concerns on specific legislation
CAIR Florida is speaking out against several bills filed this legislative session, none bigger for them than HB 1471, sponsored by Rep. Hillary Cassel, R-Dania Beach, in the House and by Sen. Erin Grall, R-Vero Beach, (SB 1632 ) in the Senate.
The legislation would provide a process by which the state’s chief of domestic security may designate an organization as a foreign terrorist organization or domestic terrorist organization if that officer finds that it engages in activities dangerous to human life, intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population, influence the policy of a government by intimidation, or affect the conduct of government by mass destruction.
That designation would then require the approval by the state Cabinet to become effective.
CAIR Florida also opposes two attendant bills (HB 1473/SB 1634) to create a public-records exemption for any information used by the chief domestic security officer “critical to state or national security.” Mark Glass, head of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, fulfills that role.
Hiba Rahim, deputy executive director with CAIR Florida, said the federal government is already tasked with identifying and investigating foreign and domestic terrorism.
“To take that power from the federal government that has a strict set of criteria that it must follow and to put it not in the hands of our legislators, but to put it in the hand of five individuals, is an extreme overreach and a very dangerous place for the United States to be in,” she said.
Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, said the proposal “weaponizes state agencies to basically pick their political enemies and to leverage every act of the state to go after that entity, even if there is no evidence of material support for terrorism.”
The legislation would allow a designated terrorist organization, or any member of such organization, to challenge that designation in the Leon County Circuit Court.
But Eskamani said that would be too late.
“My concern is once you have a label, it sticks,” she said, referencing Uthmeier’s posting on X earlier in the day. “We’re seeing right now that take place on social media, where accusations are being thrown with no evidence by a single appointed individual. That is creating a lot of fear and sense of intimidation between all parties. There’s nothing scary about Muslim Day at the Capitol.”
Self-censorship?
Another part of HB 1471/SB 1632 says that students who “have been determined to have promoted a designated foreign terrorist organization or a domestic terrorist organization … may be immediately expelled from the institution.”
Rahim says that provision will discourage free speech on college campuses and instead encourage a system where people will be “forced into self-censorship because they’re afraid of getting their student loans cut, their scholarships cut, they won’t be able to speak their minds freely.”
She added that all students should be concerned, whether they’re with an environmental organization, Planned Parenthood, or the NRA.
“We have an administration today that can target things on their agenda against specific groups, but tomorrow it will be a different administration, tomorrow a different group of individuals,” she said.
“This bill does not regulate speech,” Rep. Cassel insisted in defending her proposal before the House Civil Justice & Claims Subcommittee last week. “This bill regulates conduct. To be designated a domestic terrorism organization, it is not in your speech, it is in your conduct.”
Cassel acknowledged the United States lacks a list of domestic terrorist organizations. But she said that since Florida is the 15th largest economy in the world, “surrounded by water, ports, military bases … it necessary to protect our state accordingly.”
HB 1471 will be up in front of the House Education and Employment Committee on Tuesday. Its Senate companion, SB 1632, will go before Senate Judiciary Committee Tuesday afternoon.
Observing Monday’s events at the Capitol, former Florida Republican House Speaker Paul Renner, now running for governor, released a statement declaring that he stood with Gov. DeSantis in “naming Muslim groups, like CAIR, ‘foreign terrorists.’”
“As Governor, I will never allow them to take toehold here in our state, and I will take any legal means to get them out,” he said. “This is not a matter of partisan disagreement — it is a matter of protecting our Republic, rejecting political extremism, and standing firmly for our Judeo-Christian heritage.”
CAIR National responded to Uthmeier’s post on social media on Monday.
“The thought of Florida Muslims exercising their constitutional right to visit the State Capitol and meet with their elected officials might terrify keyboard warriors like @AGJamesUthmeier. But Mr. Uthmeier’s cowardice and his contempt for the Constitution are his problems, not ours.”
Florida is not the only state to designate CAIR a “domestic terrorist organization; Texas Gov. Greg Abbott did so in November. CAIR National subsequently filed a federal lawsuit to block enforcement of Abbott’s move as unconstitutional.
–Mitch Perry, Florida Phoenix
Marek says
The fascism is marching forward . Just read what Paul Renner has to say .
Bo Peep says
Ron is correct. No good will come from them.
PaulT says
It’s a mystery. Is Bo Peep a bot? He/She/It has certainly been programmed by something.
But to the main point. HB 1471,- (SB 1632 ) is a real doozie which proposes to stick the State of Florida’s nose deep into the (you choose) of Federal business. .
The idea that Florida’s top cop ‘may designate an organization as a foreign terrorist organization or domestic terrorist organization if that officer finds that it engages in activities dangerous to human life, intended to intimidate or coerce a civilian population’ seems inappropriate, why would the Legislature hand off that kind of power? But wait,,,,, Of course the guy is appointed by the governor so he’s just a rubber stamp.
But cast your thoughts to suitably ‘nasty’ organizations. Ron’s probably has ANTIFA or CAIR in mind but doesn’t AIPAC fit the bill too? Hasn’t it unwaveringly supported the Israeli Defense Force in it’s intimidation and coercion of the Palestinian civilians residents of the Gaza Strip which was certainly a danger to human life. with 65,000 human lives lost.
But there’s another organization closer to home that fits the bill albeit on a smaller scale and it’s name also begins with an upper case ‘I’.
Yes you’ve got it. ICE and sister/brother paramilitary groups under the DHS umbrella are a pretty good fit for our ‘Top Cop Terror Designation’.
Sherry says
Thank you Paul T! I’m quite certain the entity called bo peep is a “Troll Bot” simply meant to antagonize and divide us. Just programmed with trolling FOX one liners, never ever posting any factual information or engaging in debate. Something to be completely ignored!
Skibum says
I’ll say it out loud… the shameless shrill revealing yourself as the bigot you are! Ignorant fool! Unchristian-like demagoguery! Did you learn to hate others in your “church”? It certainly did NOT come from Jesus!
Muslim people belong to the second largest religion in the world. Millions of people you never met, don’t have a clue who they are, but you just sit there and condemn THEM, yet are perfectly happy supporting someone who is a convicted felon? Supporting someone who has violated practically every tenant in the Bible, ever one of the 10 Commandments? Supporting someone who hides his own sexual attraction to young, underage girls and protects other rich and powerful men who have abused underage girls?
You must be so very proud of your religious heresy! Well, here’s an epiphany for you, dear. There are many, many ethical, moral, honest, upstanding Muslims in the world who are exceedingly more worthy of respect than there are moronic fools like the maga mush brains who aren’t intelligent enough to turn off fauxinfotaiment nuze because they don’t possess enough brain cells to be able to discern right from wrong, truth from fiction, facts from garbage.
Maybe this hurts your little feelings, but often times it is “tough love” that is necessary by others who are attempting an intervention.
Deborah Coffey says
Why do we think FlaglerLive allows the posts from this troll? All Bo Peep does on here is spew hate.
FlaglerLive says
Imagine the ones that aren’t approved. But Bo Peep, who has also been warned (and withheld) for using multiple handles and pretending it’s a different commenter, is risking an outright ban.
Skibum says
Freedom of speech pertains to imbecilic, brain dead morons just as much as it does to intellectuals and those who at least succesfsully passed kindergarten.
Sherry says
Troll bots are a massive and active presence in our public commentary. Estimates suggest that bots currently account for 20% to 30% of all social media activity.
These automated accounts are designed to mimic human interaction and are used strategically to manipulate public opinion and steer the narrative of important discussions.
How They “Infect” Public Commentary
Narrative Shaping: By flooding comment sections with specific viewpoints, bots create a false sense of “consensus” or widespread support, making niche opinions appear mainstream.
Coordinated Attacks: They often operate in “botnets”—large networks of accounts controlled by a single actor—to hijack hashtags and bury genuine user comments under a mountain of propaganda.
Political Interference: State-sponsored “troll farms” are frequently used to inflame social and political divides, particularly during sensitive events like elections or public health crises.
Spreading Disinformation: Bots are often the primary drivers of “low-credibility” content. They are programmed to share fake news articles the moment the are published to help them go viral before they can be debunked.
Why They Are Hard to Spot
Modern troll bots are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Many now use AI-generated content to sound more human, making it difficult for the average user—and even some detection software—to distinguish them from real people.
How to Identify Potential Bots
While no method is 100% certain, experts at Michigan State University and other research institutions suggest looking for these red flags:
Extreme Activity: Accounts that post dozens of times a day, 24/7, without any “down time” for sleep.
Recent Creation: Many bot accounts are very new, often created just months or weeks before a major event.
Generic Profiles: Lack of a personal bio, profile picture, or any original content other than retweets and replies.
Narrow Focus: Accounts that only post about one specific, highly polarizing topic with “tunnel vision.”
Skibum says
Thanks for the insight into troll bots, Sherry.
Now, call me crazy but my personal thought is that I think I would prefer to understand that some of the wackiest, most extreme, outrageous, nonsensical or hate filled comments were in fact the genesis of artificial “intelligence”, i.e. a fake person, rather than finding out such garbage was being spewed from a real live human who might live right around the corner from me here in Palm Coast with those wacked out beliefs. That realization of someone so unhinged living close by might just scare the bejeesus out of me.
Sherry says
Right On Skibum!
Notice . . . zero. . . follow on comments from the “Trollbot”!
Skibum says
A legal decision update to this story, as of Thurs. Mar. 5th:
Court says Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis can’t call civil rights group a ‘terrorist organization’
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/court-says-florida-gov-ron-desantis-cant-call-civil-rights-group-terro-rcna261901