Florida Counterintelligence Bill Died in Committee

HB 945 proposed state surveillance powers aimed at hostile actions, views, or opinions.

State of Surveillance Editorial Team

TL;DR:

  • Florida HB 945 proposed a statewide counterintelligence and counterterrorism unit inside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.[1]
  • The bill covered people whose actions, views, or opinions were considered hostile to state and national interests.[2]
  • HB 945 died in the House State Affairs Committee on March 13, 2026. Its identical Senate companion also died.[1]

What the Bill Proposed

HB 945 would have required the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to establish a statewide counterintelligence and counterterrorism unit. The proposal's effective date was July 1, 2026.[1]

The bill defined an "adversary intelligence entity" broadly enough to include a person, group, or entity whose demonstrated actions, views, or opinions were considered threatening or hostile to the interests of Florida and the United States.[2]

The proposed unit could gather intelligence, analyze "patterns of life," execute arrests, and use counterintelligence and counterterrorism tradecraft. The structure began with a 10-person leadership team and contemplated seven regional teams.[2]

Why Civil-Liberties Advocates Objected

The language did not stop at criminal conduct. It expressly included views and opinions. First Amendment advocates warned that the wording could turn protected speech into a basis for state surveillance.[2]

WGCU's investigation reported that Cellebrite was the sole corporate interest listed on the HB 945 lobbyist disclosure. Cellebrite sells phone-extraction and digital-forensics tools to law-enforcement agencies.[2]

The same investigation compared the proposal with past political-intelligence programs, including the FBI's COINTELPRO and police "red squads." The comparison was about the danger of giving intelligence units authority to treat political beliefs as a threat signal.[2]

The Bill Did Not Pass

HB 945 cleared three House committees but never left the State Affairs Committee. The official Legislature tracker records it as dead on March 13, 2026. SB 1712, the identical Senate companion, died the same day in the Senate appropriations process.[1]

That final status matters. The proposal exposed a real push for state-level political intelligence powers, but it did not become Florida law.

Sources

  1. Florida Legislature: HB 945, Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit (2026)
  2. WGCU and Florida Trident: Legislation to Criminalize Dissent in Florida? (February 19, 2026)

Published: March 5, 2026