Day: April 19, 2026

For decades, Florida has stood as a legal island in a shifting sea of religious property law. While the majority of the United States has moved toward treating church property disputes like any other secular contract or trust, Florida has remained steadfast in its “hands-off” approach. However, a recent and potentially earth-shaking decision by the First District Court of Appeal (DCA) in First United Methodist Church of Hobe Sound v. The Board of Trustees of the Florida Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church has signaled that the status quo may be about to crack.