The Council on American-Islamic Relations has indefinitely suspended its Florida operations after a federal court rejected its attempt to block the state’s domestic terrorist designations, according to Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, as reported by The Post Millennial.

“This morning, a federal court upheld Florida’s Domestic Terrorist Organization law and rejected CAIR’s attempt to stop the designations,” Uthmeier wrote Thursday on X. “Great win by our Solicitor General’s office and for the people of Florida!”

CAIR has officially suspended operations in Florida.

— Attorney General James Uthmeier (@AGJamesUthmeier) November 5, 2026

Reports of the shutdown emerged Wednesday after a notice appeared at CAIR’s Temple Terrace office near Tampa. The organization blamed Gov. Ron DeSantis and other state officials, arguing that enforcement of the designation law was unconstitutional.

ANOTHER WIN FOR FLORIDA:

This morning, a federal court upheld Florida’s Domestic Terrorist Organization law and rejected The Council on American Islamic Relations' (CAIR) attempt to stop the designations from being designated as a domestic terrorist organizationThe DOJ listed CAIR as an unindicted co-conspirator in the largest terror financing trial in US history for funneling money to terror groups, including Hamas— Ari Hoffman (@thehoffather) November 5, 2026

CAIR also stopped accepting donations from people living or located in Florida. It instructed Florida residents not to join its mailing lists or otherwise engage with the organization.

DeSantis and the Florida Cabinet approved the designations September 29 under HB 1471, which took effect July 1. The designations were scheduled to become effective November 5, while CAIR’s attorneys sought an injunction on the grounds that the restrictions would prevent operations.

Texas had previously designated CAIR under its state terrorism laws. The Florida shutdown comes after years of scrutiny involving alleged Hamas connections, comments by CAIR leaders, taxpayer funding, and attempts to shape how public institutions handle antisemitism.

Federal prosecutors named CAIR an unindicted coconspirator and joint venturer in the Holy Land Foundation prosecution involving terrorism financing. The foundation and five leaders were convicted in 2008 in a case involving approximately $12.4 million funneled to Hamas.

A Justice Department inspector general report said trial evidence linked CAIR leaders to Hamas. It also described the FBI’s later policy restricting interactions with CAIR that were unrelated to investigations.

CAIR national executive director and cofounder Nihad Awad faced condemnation after saying he was “happy to see” Palestinians “breaking the siege” on October 7, 2023. His remarks followed the Hamas massacre of over 1,200 Israelis, and the Biden White House condemned them and disavowed CAIR’s involvement in its national antisemitism strategy.

Other CAIR chapter leaders have drawn similar scrutiny. San Francisco Bay Area executive director Zahra Billoo posted, “We are witnessing decolonization” on the day of the Hamas massacre and later called slain Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh a “martyr.”

Billoo also advised supporters against publicly posting “I hate all Zionists” while suggesting those views could be expressed privately. CAIR-California chief executive Hussam Ayloush compared Israel to Nazi Germany and said: “Israel should be attacked.”

During a separate 2021 appearance, Billoo urged supporters to scrutinize Jewish federations, Zionist synagogues, campus Hillel chapters and the Anti-Defamation League. She warned that friendship did not mean those institutions supported her audience’s understanding of human rights.

CAIR’s handling of taxpayer money has also prompted complaints and federal scrutiny. The Intelligent Advocacy Network requested an investigation into approximately $7.2 million in refugee funding distributed through California operations, alleging that transfers among chapters obscured how the money was spent.

Those claims were allegations seeking an investigation, not a finding that money had been stolen. A later investigation examined at least $41 million awarded to CAIR-California over five years and questioned subgrants to other organizations, including Muslim American Society and Islamic Circle of North America chapters.

Health and Human Services officials separately sought scrutiny of more than $30 million in California refugee resettlement funding and approximately $1.3 million awarded to CAIR-Washington through Washington’s Department of Social and Health Services. CAIR also settled litigation with former employee and board member Lori Saroya after a discovery ruling opened its financial records to scrutiny.

CAIR created a “Hostile Campus” scorecard that deducted points from universities adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of antisemitism and enforcing certain disciplinary measures related to protests. CAIR-WA also pressed Washington school officials to revise antisemitism guidance, including language concerning “from the river to the sea.”

CAIR-WA demanded that Bellevue schools pair references to the October 7 attacks with the organization’s allegation of genocide in Gaza. Emails obtained by The Ari Hoffman Show showed Washington Human Rights Commissioner Han Tran consulting CAIR allies while drafting an antisemitism resolution.

The organization’s political influence has continued despite the controversies. Previous reporting identified more than $115,000 in contributions to Abdul El-Sayed’s Senate campaign from at least 41 people who worked for CAIR or held leadership positions with the organization.

CAIR Action, the organization’s political affiliate, celebrated El-Sayed’s Michigan victory this week and used the announcement to recruit members. In Florida, however, the federal court’s decision left CAIR’s legal challenge rejected and its state operations suspended.

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