Florida has been ranked No. 1 in the 2025 Religious Liberty in the States Index published by the First Liberty Institute’s Center for Religion, Culture and Democracy, Governor Ron DeSantis announced at a news conference in Sarasota on Monday. The conservative legal group evaluated 47 distinct legal protections and combined them into 20 safeguards to measure how well states defend religious freedom. Florida scored 74.6 percent, four points ahead of second-place Montana, while West Virginia came in last with 19.6 percent. DeSantis said the top ranking reflects measures adopted during his administration, including a mandatory moment of silence in public schools, pandemic rules deeming churches essential services, expanded support for homeschooling, and the creation of a volunteer school chaplain program. The governor called religious liberty “central to the American experiment” and said the state will continue to strengthen related protections.