Why It Matters
Florida’s Republican congressional delegation received a middling ranking from a national faith-based employer alliance, dropping four spots from the previous year. The assessment evaluates legislators on votes the organization ties to what it describes as biblically based business principles and religious liberty protections.
The Christian Employers Alliance says it represents more than 30,000 faith-based employers nationwide, including major religious organizations. The rankings aim to guide business leaders on states where lawmakers support policies aligned with the group’s interpretation of scriptural governance and limited government.
What Happened
The organization released its Congressional Biblical Business Index, examining voting records of all 535 members of Congress across more than 82,000 individual votes. Florida ranked 25th among all state delegations, tied with Iowa and Connecticut for the third-largest decline in the category the alliance calls biblical alignment.
Margaret Iuculano, president of the Christian Employers Alliance, said the rankings differ from traditional business surveys by measuring social policy alongside economic factors. She stated the index helps faith-based employers identify where they can operate according to religious beliefs and where lawmakers vote consistently with what the organization defines as biblical principles.
By the Numbers
Six Florida members of Congress placed in the top 51 individually on the index. U.S. Senator Rick Scott made the list, along with five House members: Greg Steube, Byron Donalds, Anna Paulina Luna, Aaron Bean, and Kat Cammack.
Among Florida state legislators, State Representative Webster Barnaby ranked highest, followed by state representatives John Snyder and Monique Miller, state Senator Don Gaetz, and state representatives Lawrence McClure and Paula Stark.
The alliance examined voting records from all 50 states, applying methodology it describes as grounded in Scripture, limited government, and Judeo-Christian social principles.
Zoom Out
Faith-based employer groups have become more active in state and federal policy advocacy in recent years, particularly on religious liberty questions in commerce and employment law. The rankings add to a growing array of scorecards from advocacy organizations seeking to influence legislative priorities.
Business climate rankings traditionally focus on tax policy, regulatory burdens, and workforce availability. This index incorporates the organization’s positions on social policy, including what it describes as protections for employers operating according to religious conviction.
What’s Next
The rankings do not trigger any formal action but are intended to guide business investment and relocation decisions by faith-based employers. The organization updates its congressional index annually based on voting records from the previous legislative session.