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Florida Statute 761.02 - Full Text and Legal Analysis
Florida Statute 761.02 | Lawyer Caselaw & Research
Link to State of Florida Official Statute
F.S. 761.02 Case Law from Google Scholar Google Search for Amendments to 761.02

The 2025 Florida Statutes

Title XLIV
CIVIL RIGHTS
Chapter 761
RELIGIOUS FREEDOM
View Entire Chapter
761.02 Definitions.As used in this act:
(1) “Government” or “state” includes any branch, department, agency, instrumentality, or official or other person acting under color of law of the state, a county, special district, municipality, or any other subdivision of the state.
(2) “Demonstrates” means to meet the burden of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion.
(3) “Exercise of religion” means an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief.
History.s. 2, ch. 98-412.

F.S. 761.02 on Google Scholar

F.S. 761.02 on CourtListener

Amendments to 761.02


Annotations, Discussions, Cases:

Cases Citing Statute 761.02

Total Results: 8  |  Sort by: Relevance  |  Newest First

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Warner v. City of Boca Raton, 887 So. 2d 1023 (Fla. 2004).

Cited 31 times | Published | Supreme Court of Florida | 2004 WL 1944456

...*1032 (2) "Demonstrates" means to meet the burden of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion. (3) "Exercise of religion" means an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief. § 761.02, Fla....
...em of beliefs. The focus under the FRFRA, however, is whether the appellants' action is substantially motivated by a religious belief and whether the governmental action enacted substantially burdens the free exercise of that religious belief. See §§ 761.02(3), 761.03(1), Fla....
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Warner v. City of Boca Raton, 64 F. Supp. 2d 1272 (S.D. Fla. 1999).

Cited 12 times | Published | District Court, S.D. Florida | 1999 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 14665, 1999 WL 739468

...FRA? The Florida RFRA defines the "exercise of religion" as "an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious beliefs." Id. § 761.02(3)....
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Toca v. State, 834 So. 2d 204 (Fla. 2d DCA 2002).

Cited 7 times | Published | Florida 2nd District Court of Appeal | 2002 WL 2030145

...opriate relief. The statute defines government as "any branch, department, agency, instrumentality, or official or other person acting under color of law of the state, a county, special district, municipality, or any other subdivision of the state." § 761.02(1), Fla. Stat. (2002). Section 761.02(3), defines an exercise of religion as "an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief." Determining...
...Toca's favor, our inquiry would turn to whether the government has a compelling interest in imposing the signature requirement on him and whether doing so is *210 the least restrictive means of furthering that interest. Pursuant to section 761.03(1), the burden to demonstrate these things would be on the government. Section 761.02(2) defines demonstrates as "to meet the burden of going forward with the evidence and of persuasion." As can be seen, by imposing the compelling interest test, the RFRA may well restrict the government's ability to burden an individual...
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Westgate Tabernacle, Inc. v. Palm Beach Cnty., 14 So. 3d 1027 (Fla. 4th DCA 2009).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 4th District Court of Appeal | 2009 Fla. App. LEXIS 5431, 2009 WL 1393429

...City of Boca Raton, 887 So.2d 1023, 1034 (emphasis supplied); Midrash Sephardi, Inc. v. Town of Surfside, 366 F.3d 1214, 1225 (11th Cir.2004) ("To invoke the protection. . . of RLUIPA, plaintiffs bear the burden of first demonstrating that the regulation substantially burdens religious exercise."). Section 761.02(3), Florida Statutes, defines "exercise of religion" as "an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious bel...
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Muhammad v. Crosby, 922 So. 2d 236 (Fla. 1st DCA 2006).

Cited 3 times | Published | Florida 1st District Court of Appeal | 2006 WL 42335

...We reverse and remand on these two grounds, and affirm the remaining issues without comment. Section 761.03(1), Florida Statutes (2004), provides that the government "shall not substantially burden a person's exercise of religion, even if the burden results from a rule of general applicability." Section 761.02(3), Florida Statutes (2004), defines "exercise of religion" as "an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief." See Warner v....
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Warner v. City of Boca Raton, 267 F.3d 1223 (11th Cir. 2001).

Cited 1 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit | 2001 U.S. App. LEXIS 21253, 2001 WL 1153220

...Florida RFRA goes on to define “exercise of religion” as “an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief.” Fla. Stat. § 761.02 (3)....
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Richard Warner v. City of Boca Raton, 420 F.3d 1308 (11th Cir. 2001).

Cited 1 times | Published | Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit

...decorations violated the federal and state constitutions. The City has not appealed this ruling. 4 not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief.” Fla. Stat. § 761.02(3). In this case, the federal district court, which was the first court to issue a published opinion interpreting Florida RFRA,2 said the state statute applied only to conduct that “reflects some tenet, practice or custom of a l...
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Freeman v. Dep't of High. Saf., 924 So. 2d 48 (Fla. 5th DCA 2006).

Cited 1 times | Published | Florida 5th District Court of Appeal | 2006 WL 357826

...riate relief. "Exercise of religion," as defined in FRFRA, "means an act or refusal to act that is substantially motivated by a religious belief, whether or not the religious exercise is compulsory or central to a larger system of religious belief." § 761.02(3)....

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