TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (VINnew) — On the 25th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Gov. Ron DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved an emergency rule Friday establishing how the state can designate organizations as domestic or foreign terrorist organizations.

The rule puts into effect a process created by legislation signed into law earlier this year. Under the law, Florida’s chief of domestic security — currently Florida Department of Law Enforcement Commissioner Mark Glass — can designate an organization that meets specified criteria as a terrorist organization. The governor and Cabinet then have the authority to approve or reject the designation by majority vote.

For a domestic designation, the organization must be based in or operate in Florida or the United States, engage in terrorist activity and pose an ongoing threat to the security of Florida or the United States. A foreign organization must already be designated as a foreign terrorist organization by the U.S. secretary of state and pose an ongoing threat.

DeSantis opened Friday’s brief meeting by honoring those who died while rescuing others during the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania.

“We have enemies in this world,” DeSantis said, noting that those who carried out the attacks had a clear political and ideological agenda and that the threat had not been extinguished.

“We’ve obviously been keen on this issue for a long time,” DeSantis said of the new designation process. He said the framework would allow Florida to take action against hostile actors and terrorist groups.

This morning we approved Florida’s terrorist-organization designation rule during our Florida Cabinet meeting.

We now have the process to name these groups, cut off taxpayer support, and hold those who bankroll them accountable.

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) September 11, 2026

Glass told the governor and Cabinet that he believed there were “imminent dangers to public health, safety, and welfare” from increasing risks posed by foreign and domestic terrorist groups.

The emergency rule was announced Thursday and approved during a teleconference meeting that lasted just over two minutes. Attorney General James Uthmeier, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia and Agriculture Commissioner Wilton Simpson did not comment during the meeting.

The new process stems from House Bill 1471, which was approved by the Legislature and signed by DeSantis in April. The law also establishes criminal penalties involving material support, membership and military-type training connected to designated terrorist organizations.