April 7 (UPI) -- Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has signed legislation authorizing state officials to designate certain groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations, creating a mechanism to punish those blacklisted in the Sunshine State.
The legislation, House Bill 1471, was signed by the Republican governor on Monday during a press conference in Tampa.
The legislation creates a mechanism for Florida to sever funding, contracting and other ties to blacklisted groups. If a corporation is named, the state may pursue proceedings to dissolve it.
"We must defend our institutions from those who would harm us -- especially terrorist organizations that seek to infiltrate and subvert our education system," DeSantis said in a statement.
The bill specifically authorizes Florida's chief of domestic security to designate groups as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations, subject to approval from the governor and Cabinet, if certain conditions are met.
