The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, commonly known as the Mormon or LDS Church, has a significant presence in the state of Florida. With over 150,000 members, Florida has the sixth largest Mormon population out of all the states in the U.S. The church owns various pieces of property throughout Florida, including meetinghouses, temples, cattle ranches, citrus groves, and other commercial real estate. But just how much of the Sunshine State is owned by the LDS Church? In this article, we will analyze the extent of the Mormon church’s land holdings in Florida.
Quick Overview of Mormon Church’s Presence in Florida
The Mormon church first arrived in Florida in the 1840s, but did not establish a permanent presence until the 1890s. Mormon missionaries were drawn to Florida for its warm climate and business opportunities. In 1887, a small branch of 25 members was organized in Fernandina. The first LDS meetinghouse was built in Jacksonville in 1893. Significant Mormon migration to Florida did not begin until the 1950s, spurred by the post-war economic boom. Major centers of Mormon population developed around Orlando, Tampa Bay, Miami, and Fort Lauderdale.
Today, there are over 150 congregations of the LDS Church in Florida, divided into 5 regional “stakes.” There are currently 2 operating Mormon temples in the state, located in Orlando and Fort Lauderdale. Mormons have had significant involvement in Florida’s business community, citrus industry, tourism sector, and politics. Prominent Mormon politicians from Florida include former U.S. Senator Paula Hawkins and current U.S. Representative Jeff Miller.
LDS Church’s Major Land Holdings in Florida
The LDS Church owns several large properties and commercial operations throughout Florida:
Deseret Ranch
This 290,000-acre cattle ranch and citrus grove straddles 3 counties in Central Florida – Orange, Osceola, and Brevard. It was originally purchased in 1950 by the Mormon-owned holding company Deseret Ranches of Florida and has since grown to become one of the largest ranches in the U.S. While parts of the ranch have been developed or sold off over the years, it remains primarily an agricultural operation and is still owned by the LDS Church.
Disney World
The land upon which Disney World was built was acquired by secret purchases through dummy corporations in the 1960s. The majority of the land – around 43 sq miles – was purchased from the Mormon Church, which had settled in the area decades earlier. While the LDS Church no longer owns the Disney World property itself, their initial land sales were crucial to the development of Disney World.
Citrus Groves
In addition to Deseret Ranch, the LDS Church owns several smaller citrus groves throughout Central and South Florida. Their groves produce oranges, grapefruits, tangerines and other varieties. The citrus is primarily sold for juice production. Total acreage of their citrus groves is estimated at over 5,000 acres.
Meetinghouses
The LDS Church owns the land underneath most of their meetinghouse buildings in Florida. With over 150 congregations statewide, this represents a significant amount of real estate. Exact acreages are variable, but average around 3-5 acres per meetinghouse.
Bishop’s Storehouses
The LDS Church operates 4 regional warehouse and distribution centers in Florida known as Bishop’s Storehouses. These facilities have large footprints and distribution yards. Locations are in Orlando, Tallahassee, Fort Lauderdale, and Tampa.
Miscellaneous
Other Mormon-owned properties include ministry offices, family history libraries, university student centers adjacent to campuses, and scattered commercial real estate holdings.
Estimating Total LDS Land Holdings in Florida
It is difficult to determine the exact total acreage owned by the Mormon church in Florida. However, based on the information available, the following estimates can be made:
– Deseret Ranch: 290,000 acres
– Citrus Groves: 5,000 acres
– Meetinghouses: 150 x 5 acres (average) = 750 acres
– Bishop’s Storehouses: 4 x 10 acres (average) = 40 acres
– Miscellaneous Properties: est. 5,000 acres
Total estimated LDS church land holdings in Florida: 300,790 acres
For reference, the total land area of Florida is around 35 million acres. So the Mormon church likely owns less than 1% of the state’s total land area. However, most of their holdings are concentrated in central Florida.
The Mormon Church’s Land Holdings in Context
To put the LDS Church’s Florida land holdings in context, here are some comparisons:
– 300,790 acres would cover around 470 sq miles, larger than the city of Los Angeles (465 sq miles)
– It’s over double the size of Walt Disney World Resort property (25,000 acres)
– But it’s dwarfed by some of the big cattle ranches in Florida, like Deseret Ranch itself is just 1/4 the size of the famous Army-Air Force owned Avon Park Bombing Range (over 1 million acres)
– It’s a tiny fraction of federal government land ownership, which includes National Forests, Parks, and Wildlife Refuges totaling over 4 million acres in Florida
So while 300,000 acres seems large, it’s fairly small compared to other major landholders in Florida. The Mormon Church does not rank among the top private landowners in the state. Their holdings are significant but mostly concentrated in just a few properties.
Growth Trends and Future Outlook
The LDS Church’s land holdings in Florida have remained relatively stable over the past couple decades. While their congregations continue to grow, they have not been acquiring much new property. Deseret Ranch remains their crown jewel asset in Florida and one of the largest citrus producers in the state.
Due to changes in the citrus industry, the LDS church has sold off some grove land and converted parts of Deseret Ranch into timber and pasture operations. Some portions of the ranch have also been slated for planned residential developments. So the church has been optimizing their land assets in Florida rather than expanding.
Barring any major real estate acquisitions, the LDS Church’s land holdings in Florida are likely to remain around 300,000 acres in the foreseeable future. Their cattle ranch and citrus operations continue to be productive assets for the church. As the Mormon population grows in Florida, they may build some new meetinghouses, but construction of new temples is less likely.
Conclusion
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has established a notable presence in Florida over the past century. Their land holdings consist primarily of agricultural operations like Deseret Ranch and scattered meetinghouses and temples. In total, the Mormon church owns an estimated 300,790 acres in Florida, concentrated in central regions of the state. This represents less than 1% of Florida’s total land area. While significant, their holdings are modest compared to major private landowners, and a fraction of government owned land in the state. The LDS Church does not rank among the top landowners in Florida. Their land assets are productive for cattle ranching and citrus production but unlikely to expand rapidly in the future. So while the Mormon church has a substantial foothold, they are far from controlling significant swaths of the Florida real estate market.