Proposed Florida Legislation Seeks to Create STASI Style Secret Police to Target Citizens for Free Speech

The myth of the free state of Florida continues to be shattered. The Florida legislature is considering a bill that will create a paramilitary STASI style counter intelligence agency empowered to targe Floridians based on ideological or intellectual expression. The bill is being lobbied for by an Israeli intelligence firm Cellebrite Inc. This treasonous legislation appears to be moving through committee.

Florida House Bill 945 (HB 945) and its identical Senate companion, Senate Bill 1712 (SB 1712), propose the creation of a permanent “Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit” within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) constituting one of the most sweeping attacks on the Bill of Rights to emerge from any state legislature in the modern era. It is a clear assault on the 1st, 4th, 5th, and 6th Amendments to the Bill of Rights, and arguably could be used to target other Amendments.

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The bills’ core defect is a definition of “adversary intelligence entity” so broad that it encompasses any person whose “views or opinions” are deemed a threat to state or national interests. This single clause, combined with the unit’s authority to conduct warrantless surveillance, analyze “patterns of life,” and execute “direct action missions”, creates a legal framework for the state-sponsored persecution of political dissidents, constitutional patriots, critics of government health mandates, journalists, religious minorities, and anyone who opposes the policies of the Israeli government.

What makes these bills uniquely alarming is the context in which they arise. Cellebrite, an Israeli digital intelligence firm headquartered in Petah Tikva, Israel, with deep ties to Israeli state intelligence, is lobbying for the bill. The bill’s Senate sponsor, Sen. Jonathan Martin, a Christian Zionist. These bills emerge in the shadow of the now-documented Epstein-Mossad blackmail operation, which for decades compromised American politicians and officials on behalf of Israeli intelligence.

This proposed legislation, in its current form, represents a coordinated attack on the constitutional rights of American citizens that warrants the most serious legal scrutiny, including potential criminal investigation of those who knowingly advanced it on behalf of a foreign power.

A Granular Analysis of the Bill Text (Florida Statute § 943.0316)

HB 945 and SB 1712 are identical bills that create a new section in the Florida Statutes, § 943.0316, titled “Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit.” The following is a detailed, subsection-by-subsection analysis of the powers, definitions, and structure established by the legislation. [1]

Subsection (1): Legislative Intent

“It is the intent of the Legislature to establish a dedicated counterintelligence and counterterrorism unit whose primary goal is to conduct statewide counterintelligence and counterterrorism activities to detect, identify, neutralize, and exploit adversary intelligence entities, international and domestic terrorists, insider threats, corporate threats, and other foreign adversaries to protect this state and the United States of America.”

This section establishes the unit’s mission. The key verbs are “detect, identify, neutralize, and exploit.” While “detect” and “identify” are standard intelligence functions, “neutralize” and “exploit” are terms of art that imply active countermeasures, including potentially disruptive or coercive actions. The targets are exceptionally broad, and almost certainly will target American citizens that resist the emerging authoritarian state. Vaguely defined “insider threats,” “corporate threats,” and “other foreign adversaries”, could easily be used to target those resisting mandates, election integrity advocates, or forced vaccination in the future, or critics of the unjustified offensive war against Iran, for instance, to name a few.

Subsection (2): The “Adversary Intelligence Entity” Definition

“As used in this section, the term ‘adversary intelligence entity’ includes, but is not limited to, any national, foreign, multinational, friendly, competitor, opponent, adversary, or recognized enemy government or nongovernmental organization, company, business, corporation, consortium, group, agency, cell, terrorist, insurgent, guerrilla entity, or person whose demonstrated actions, views, or opinions are a threat or are inimical to the interests of this state and the United States of America.”

This is the most constitutionally toxic provision in the bill. It defines the unit’s potential targets. The list is explicitly non-exhaustive (”includes, but is not limited to”).

Targets “Friendly” Entities: The unit can target “friendly” governments, organizations, and companies.

Targets Individuals: The definition explicitly includes a “person.”

The “Views or Opinions” Trigger: The basis for targeting a person can be their “demonstrated actions, views, or opinions.” This directly criminalizes political and ideological expression.

Vague Standard: The standard for targeting is whether these views are a “threat” or “inimical to the interests of this state.” These terms are undefined, granting the unit limitless discretion.

Subsection (3): Unit Structure and Operational Powers

“The Department of Law Enforcement shall establish and administer a Statewide Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism Unit housed at the department’s regional operational center, with a team from the unit assigned to and aligned with each regional domestic security task force...”

This establishes the unit within the FDLE and links it to the existing seven regional domestic security task forces, ensuring statewide reach.

“The unit shall identify threats by analyzing patterns of life, gathering actionable intelligence, and formulating effective plans of action...”

“Analyzing patterns of life” is an intelligence term for comprehensive, long-term surveillance of an individual’s daily activities, movements, communications, financial transactions, and associations. This authorizes mass data collection and analysis without a warrant.

...and by executing arrests or by revealing its intent to compel a response using all counterintelligence and counterterrorism tradecraft necessary to protect the state from adversary intelligence entities.”

This grants the unit two distinct types of power:

Arrest Power: The unit can make arrests, but the bill specifies no requirement for a criminal predicate or probable cause.

Coercive Power: The unit can use “all...tradecraft necessary” to “compel a response.” This could include threats, intimidation, blackmail, or other coercive measures short of arrest to silence or neutralize a target.

“The unit may conduct direct action missions on its own against a threat or may incorporate with or into other units to counteract and stop identifiable threats.”

“Direct action” is a military and intelligence term for kinetic operations, which can range from raids and seizures to targeted killings. Granting a state law enforcement unit the power to conduct “direct action missions on its own” without judicial oversight is unprecedented and extraordinarily dangerous.

Does this bill open the door to targeted killings of Floridians?

At this point it would be a fair question to ask who is Alligator Alcatraz really for?

Subsection (4): Implementation Timeline and Staffing

“(a) Create a 10-person team by July 1, 2027, whose main purpose is to serve as the initial leadership and organizational core of the full unit;” “(b) Establish a statewide unit... composed of at least seven teams...” “(c) Each fiscal year, request the appropriate number of positions and funding required for each position in order to be fully staffed no later than December 30, 2033.”

This lays out a multi-year plan to build the unit, starting with a 10-person leadership core and expanding to seven full teams over the next decade. This ensures the unit becomes a permanent fixture of the state security apparatus.

Subsection (5): Team Composition and Experience Requirements

“(a) Each team shall perform tasks in support of the state’s domestic security mission, including, but not limited to, providing technical operations to insider threat investigations and assigning team officers to safeguard the state from adversary intelligence entities by using counterintelligence to detect, identify, assess, and counteract threats posed by such entities.”

This subsection reiterates the unit’s mission, emphasizing “technical operations” (i.e., surveillance) and “counteracting” threats.

“(b) Each team must, at a minimum, be composed of all of the following: 1. A team leader who is an assistant special agent in charge; 2. A facility security officer who is a special agent supervisor with counterintelligence experience, to be assigned four intelligence analysts; and 3. A deputy team leader who is a special agent supervisor, to be assigned six counterintelligence agents, one of whom must be a regional federal liaison officer, one of whom must be a regional state liaison officer, and one of whom must be a local liaison officer.”

This specifies a hierarchical structure for each of the seven teams, creating a significant new bureaucracy within FDLE. Each team will have leadership, analysts, and agents, including embedded liaisons from federal, state, and local agencies, facilitating intelligence sharing.

“(c) Each team member must: 1. Have been a member of or have received formal training in any United States government agency, have served as a United States servicemember, or have experience with any law enforcement agency as an officer, agent, analyst, or operative serving in intelligence, counterintelligence, or counterterrorism; or 2. Have at least 3 years of experience of actively working in the fields of intelligence, counterintelligence, or counterterrorism.”

This sets the experience requirements for unit members, drawing heavily from the ranks of federal intelligence agencies and the military. While this ensures a high level of technical expertise, it also risks importing a military or national security mindset into domestic law enforcement, where the rights of citizens are paramount.

This bill is clearly creating a STASI style secret police force reminiscent of former Soviet era East Genrmany. Floridians will be targeted for their political opinions and will likely be under the surveillance of the foreign Israeli intelligence paratus.

Legislative Sponsors and Status

HB 945: Sponsored by Rep. Danny Alvarez (R-Hillsborough). As of February 27, 2026, it has passed three committees and is now in its final stop, the State Affairs Committee, before a full House vote. [2]

SB 1712: Sponsored by Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers). As of February 27, 2026, it has passed one committee and is now in the Appropriations Committee on Criminal and Civil Justice, with two more stops before a full Senate vote.

The legislative session ends on March 13, 2026.

Representative Danny Alvarez (HB 945 Sponsor)

Rep. Danny Alvarez (R-Hillsborough) is a former assistant state attorney and was elected to the Florida House in 2022. [13] Cellebrite, the Israeli surveillance firm, is the a registered corporate lobbyist for his bill, HB 945.

Senator Jonathan Martin (SB 1712 Sponsor)

Sen. Jonathan Martin (R-Fort Myers) represents Florida Senate District 33, covering Lee County. He is a personal injury attorney and rabid Christian Zionist.

Senator Martin’s alma mater, Liberty University, has a strong institutional focus on Christian Zionism and recently launched a “Center for Israel.” Furthermore, the Jewish Federations of North America have sponsored missions to Israel for Florida state legislators, demonstrating a concerted effort to build relationships and influence state policy in favor of Israel.

BILL OF RIGHTS AMENDMENTS UNDER DIRECT ATTACK

The following analysis examines the amendments of the Bill of Rights that are most directly and unambiguously threatened by the specific text of HB 945/SB 1712.

First Amendment: Freedom of Speech, Press, Assembly, and Religion

The First Amendment is the most direct target of the legislation. The bill authorizes state surveillance, investigation, and “direct action” against individuals based on the content of their political, religious, or ideological expression.

Specific Bill Text:

§ 943.0316(2): Defines an “adversary intelligence entity” to include any “person whose demonstrated actions, views, or opinions are a threat or are inimical to the interests of this state...”

This language creates a mechanism for the state to punish individuals for their beliefs. Any speech that is critical of government policy, whether it relates to public health, foreign affairs, or education, could be deemed “inimical to the interests of this state” and trigger investigation. This is a classic example of viewpoint discrimination, which the Supreme Court has repeatedly held is the most egregious form of First Amendment violation. The bill also chills the freedom of the press by allowing for the investigation of journalists who report on sensitive topics, and it threatens the freedom of assembly by targeting groups who organize protests or demonstrations. Religious freedom is also at risk, as the bill could be used to target religious groups whose beliefs are deemed to be at odds with state interests.

Fourth Amendment: Unreasonable Searches and Seizures

The Fourth Amendment is directly violated by the bill’s authorization of sweeping surveillance powers without any requirement for a judicial warrant or probable cause.

Specific Bill Text:

§ 943.0316(3): Authorizes the unit to identify threats by “analyzing patterns of life...”

§ 943.0316(3): Authorizes the use of “all counterintelligence and counterterrorism tradecraft necessary...”

“Analyzing patterns of life” is an intelligence community term for the comprehensive, long-term monitoring of a person’s daily activities. This includes tracking their movements, communications, financial transactions, and online behavior. “All...tradecraft necessary” is a catch-all phrase that can be used to justify any surveillance technique, no matter how intrusive. The bill’s failure to require a warrant for such activities is a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment, which requires that all searches be reasonable and based on probable cause. The Supreme Court has made it clear in cases like Carpenter v. United States that the government cannot access sensitive digital data without a warrant.

Fifth Amendment: Due Process of Law

The Fifth Amendment’s guarantee of due process is violated by the bill’s vague and undefined terms, which fail to provide fair notice of what is prohibited and allow for arbitrary and discriminatory enforcement.

Specific Bill Text:

§ 943.0316(2): Uses the undefined terms “threat“ and “inimical to the interests of this state“ as the standard for targeting individuals.

What constitutes a “threat”? What does it mean for a view to be “inimical to the interests of this state”? The bill provides no answers. This vagueness violates the due process principle that laws must be clear enough for ordinary people to understand what conduct is prohibited. It also invites arbitrary enforcement, as the unit is free to interpret these terms as it sees fit. This is a recipe for the political targeting of individuals and groups who are out of favor with the government.

Sixth Amendment: Right to a Fair Trial

The Sixth Amendment’s guarantees of a fair trial are threatened by the bill’s authorization of arrests and “direct action missions” without a clear criminal predicate.

Specific Bill Text:

§ 943.0316(3): Authorizes the unit to “execut[e] arrests“ and conduct “direct action missions on its own against a threat...”

The bill does not specify what crimes individuals targeted by the unit could be charged with. This raises the prospect of individuals being arrested and prosecuted for ill-defined offenses based on their political views. In such cases, the defendant’s Sixth Amendment rights to be informed of the nature of the accusation, to confront witnesses, and to have the assistance of counsel would be severely compromised. The use of secret intelligence as evidence would make it impossible for defendants to mount an effective defense.

Again, is this bill opening the door to torture, blackmail, and assassination of Floridians?

Summary of Direct Threats to the Bill of Rights

This bill targets the First Amendment by targeting Floridians based on ‘views or opinions’, Fourth Amendment with Warrantless Searches i.e.. “analyzing patterns of life” and use of “all...tradecraft” therefore violating the Right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, Fifth Amendment right to due process with Vague standards like “threat” and “inimical to the interests”, and the Sixth Amendment Right toa Fair Trial with the granted Authority to “execute arrests” and conduct “direct action missions” without a clear criminal predicate or even limits on what “direct action missions” constitute.

Arguably the bill can target other Amendments to the Bill of Rights. For example, will Second Amendment advocates be targeted for their support for gun rights.

Should the legislators that introduced these bills be investigated?

FLORIDA TREASON, SEDITION, AND SUBVERSIVE ACTIVITIES LAW ANALYSIS

Florida law contains several statutes criminalizing treason, sedition, and other subversive activities. HB 945/SB 1712, by creating a state-sponsored unit to target individuals based on their political views, could be used to enforce these statutes in a manner that violates the First Amendment.

Potential Violations

Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) (22 U.S.C. § 611 et seq.)

This is the most direct potential violation. FARA requires agents of foreign principals to register with the Department of Justice. Cellebrite, an Israeli company with state intelligence ties, is lobbying for specific U.S. legislation, which would violative Constitutional Rights as outlined above, and spy on Americans. This action strongly suggests the legislators may be acting as agents of a foreign principal (the Israeli surveillance-industrial complex, if not the government itself).

By sponsoring and advancing this legislation, Rep. Alvarez and Sen. Martin MAY arguably be acting as the final link in a chain of foreign influence. They may using their official capacity to advance the legislative agenda of what appears to be an unregistered (or potentially registrable) foreign agent. Knowingly acting on behalf of a foreign agent to influence U.S. policy without that agent being registered could constitute a conspiracy to violate FARA or aiding and abetting a FARA violation.

At a minimum all communications of each or these legislators and any co sponsors should be subpoenaed.

Florida Treason Statute (Fla. Stat. § 876.32) & Federal Treason (18 U.S.C. § 2381)

Treason consists of “levying war” against the state/U.S., or “adhering to its enemies, or giving them aid and comfort.”

While “levying war” is not applicable, an argument can be made for “adhering to enemies, or giving them aid and comfort.” A foreign intelligence service that actively seeks to subvert the U.S. Constitution and surveil American citizens can be defined as an “enemy” to the Constitutional order.

By sponsoring legislation lobbied for by a foreign intelligence-connected firm (Cellebrite), Alvarez and Martin may be giving “aid and comfort” to that entity. They may arguably be using their power as legislators to build a domestic surveillance apparatus that serves the interests of a foreign power, directly against the Constitutional Rights and security of the people of Florida and the United States.

Florida Subversive Activities Law (Fla. Stat. § 876.23)

This statute makes it a felony for any person to commit, attempt to commit, or aid in the commission of any act intended to “overthrow, destroy or alter… the government of the state… by force, violence, or other unlawful means.”

The legislators are not using force or violence, but they are using “other unlawful means”, namely, the legislative process itself, to pass an unconstitutional bill. The act of creating a law that fundamentally attacks the Bill of Rights and alters the relationship between the government and its citizens from one of consent to one of surveillance and coercion can be defined as an attempt to “alter the government of the state.” They may arguably be aiding in the commission of an act to replace a constitutional republic with a surveillance state, which is a fundamental alteration of the form of government.

Espionage Act (18 U.S.C. § 794)

This section criminalizes delivering or attempting to deliver national defense information to a foreign government.

This is the least direct charge, but it is not irrelevant. By creating a state-level intelligence unit with embedded federal liaisons and broad authority to use “all tradecraft necessary,” Alvarez and Martin may be creating a legal backdoor for sensitive information to be collected and potentially passed to a foreign power. The unit, lobbied for by an Israeli firm, would likely be staffed by former federal intelligence officers and would inevitably collect information that could be of interest to a foreign government. Sponsoring the creation of such a unit could be construed as conspiring to create a mechanism for future violations of the Espionage Act.

This could literally become a state version of the Epstein Mossad blackmail operation.

CELLEBRITE: THE ISRAELI SURVEILLANCE FIRM LOBBYING FOR THE BILL

Cellebrite is an Israeli digital intelligence company that provides tools for extracting data from mobile phones and other electronic devices. The company’s technology is used by law enforcement agencies and intelligence services around the world.

Cellebrite’s involvement in the lobbying for HB 945 is deeply concerning. The company has been accused of selling its technology to authoritarian regimes, and its tools have been used to target journalists, activists, and political dissidents.

According to WGCU News:

“Cellebrite, an Israeli company whose employees include veterans of the country’s elite cyberwarfare unit, specializes in data extraction of cell phones and accessing data without the user’s knowledge, among other hi-tech surveillance tools. It has had multiple contracts with United States federal agencies such as Immigration and Customs Enforcement, and state records show a host of Florida law enforcement and state agency purchases from Cellebrite as well

Records on file with the Florida Senate also show millions of dollars in local funding initiative requests submitted over the years on behalf of Cellebrite for various projects, including those involving Gov. Ron DeSantis’ State Guard, the Florida National Guard, and FDLE

As recently as last year, Cellebrite said it was blocking the country of Serbia from using its technology after Amnesty International released results of an investigation documenting Serbian police and intelligence authorities using Cellebrite forensic products to covertly target journalists, environmental activists and others.

Four years earlier, the company reportedly sold its phone hacking technology to the Maduro regime in Venezuela, despite American sanctions in place at the time.”

Presumably since Cellebrite is lobbying for the bill it will be involved in the surveillance operation.

THE ISRAELI INTELLIGENCE INFRASTRUCTURE: UNIT 8200 AND THE TECH NEXUS

Unit 8200 is the Israeli military’s elite signals intelligence unit, often compared to the U.S. National Security Agency. The unit is a breeding ground for many of Israel’s top tech entrepreneurs, and its alumni have founded some of the country’s most successful cybersecurity and surveillance companies, including Cellebrite.

This close relationship between the Israeli military, the intelligence community, and the tech sector creates a powerful surveillance-industrial complex that has global reach. The fact that a company with such close ties to Israeli intelligence is lobbying for a bill that would create a domestic surveillance unit in Florida is a major red flag.

Cellebrite technology was used by repressive regimes to target journalists, activists, and political dissidents in countries such as Jordan, Serbia, and Myanmar.

This bill may literally be TREASON.

THE EPSTEIN-MOSSAD BLACKMAIL OPERATION AND ITS RELEVANCE

The case of Jeffrey Epstein, the convicted pedophile sex trafficker who suspiciously died in jail in 2019, has brought renewed attention to the issue of foreign intelligence operations on U.S. soil. Numerous reports have detailed Epstein’s connections to Israeli intelligence, and it has been alleged that he was involved in a Mossad-run blackmail operation targeting American politicians and business leaders.

While the full extent of Epstein’s involvement with Israeli intelligence may never be known, the case serves as a stark reminder of the threat posed by foreign intelligence operations. The fact that a bill like HB 945/SB 1712 are being pushed by an Israeli company in the wake of the Epstein scandal is deeply troubling.

PATRIOTS, VACCINE CRITICS, Election Integrity Advocates, AND DISSIDENTS

The vague and overbroad language of HB 945/SB 1712 makes it a perfect tool for targeting a wide range of individuals and groups who are deemed to be a threat to the established order. This includes:

Constitutional Patriots: Individuals who are strong advocates for the Constitution and who are critical of government overreach.

Vaccine Critics: Individuals who have raised concerns about the safety and efficacy of mRNA bioweapon injections or COVID-19 mandates. Such action in the future may be cause for arrest.

Election Integrity Advocates: Questioning computer slot machine type voting may easily be deemed as undermining the system.

Political Dissidents: Individuals who hold views that are outside of the mainstream and who are critical of the government.

Critics of Israel: Individuals who are critical of Israeli policy and influence over American politicians and institutions.

Basically, anyone and everyone will become a target for this survellaince and STASI style secret police.

Kill this Bill and investigate its promoters.

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Dr. Joseph Sansone is a psychotherapist opposed to psychopathic authoritarianism.

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