Florida ranks number one in protecting religious liberty
- Florida tops the national rankings for religious liberty protections for the first time, with a score of 74.6%.
- The state saw a significant improvement of nearly 20 percentage points since the index began in 2022, largely due to new legislative actions.
- This achievement highlights Florida's leadership in religious liberty and serves as a model for other states to follow.
On July 14, 2025, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis announced that Florida has improved its ranking to become the top state in the Religious Liberty in the States (RLS) index, published by the First Liberty Institute's Center for Religion, Culture & Democracy. This index evaluates how all 50 states protect religious liberty through legal frameworks and was previously only offered in three annual editions. The state scored 74.6%, significantly higher than the last-place state, West Virginia. Such strides in religious protections are attributed to new legislation to enhance respect for conscience rights. Florida has made notable improvements, climbing nearly 20 percentage points since the first ratings in 2022. The enhancements in Florida’s legal protections include laws that enable healthcare providers to refuse participation in procedures like abortion based on their religious or moral beliefs. These changes illustrate Florida’s proactive approach to ensure that individuals can exercise their freedoms based on personal convictions. The report accompanying this year’s index discussed how states like Illinois, which was once on top, are experiencing a decline in their religious freedom protections. This reflects a broader trend where only proactive legislation can safeguard these freedoms. Several states have been categorized as ‘inactive,’ indicating reliance on older laws rather than innovative new protections. While Illinois has lagged, maintaining almost all its high protections from earlier, more conservative periods, Florida's recent legislative sessions have actively filled gaps in protection. The broader implications of these findings emphasize the importance of legislative action in promoting religious liberty and the increasing divide between states that innovate and those that do not. Florida's momentous achievement sets a precedent, suggesting that other states can improve their scores through similar legislative efforts. This performance position places Florida as not just a leader in religious liberty but heralds a call for other states to adopt stronger measures to enhance their own protections.