The Rt. Rev. Dabney T. Smith

Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida

The Rt. Rev. Dabney Tyler Smith was elected bishop coadjutor of the Diocese of Southwest Florida on Dec. 9, 2006. He was ordained and consecrated as a bishop on March 10, 2007, in St. Petersburg, Fla. He was seated as the fifth bishop of the diocese on September 15, 2007, at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter in St. Petersburg. He retired as Bishop on December 10, 2022.

Dabney Smith was born December 7, 1953, to the Rev. Dorsey G. Smith, Jr. and Dorothy Leach Smith in Brownwood, Texas. He graduated from Seabreeze High School, Ormond Beach in 1972. He is remembered by his classmates as Mr. Seabreeze 1971. He earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of South Florida and entered Nashota House Theological Seminary in 1984. He was ordained to the Priesthood by the Rt. Rev. William H. Folwell in 1987 and began his ministry at Grace Church Port Orange, FL where he served under the Rev. Chris Gray.

In 1989, Bishop Smith and his family accepted a call to St. Michael’s and All Angels in South Bend, Indiana. At St. Michael’s, Bishop Smith’s gifts as an evangelical leader emerged and he led the parish in land acquisition and the building of a new parish campus to accommodate the growth of the congregation. In 1998, Bishop Smith accepted a call to Holy Trinity, Melbourne, FL where he worked closely with Holy Trinity’s day school, Holy Trinity Episcopal Academy. In 1999, he completed his Doctor of Ministry from Seabury Western Theological Seminary with a focus on congregational development. In 2004, Bishop Smith accepted a call to Trinity Church in the New Orleans Garden District. At Trinity he gained experience as the Rector of a corporate size church and oversaw aid and reconstruction efforts in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Bishop Smith was elected Fifth Bishop of the Diocese of Southwest Florida in December of 2006. He served briefly as Bishop Coadjutor and was consecrated Bishop on March 10, 2007. Bishop Smith lovingly served Southwest Florida until his retirement in December of 2022.

His time as bishop included a number of priorities, including parish vitality, believing that a healthy parish is at the core of the Episcopal Church’s call to its members. He was a strong advocate for clarity of Episcopal polity, including education and formation for clergy and vestries, with a continuing focus on leadership development for best practices. Through crises and natural disasters, he encouraged parishes to lead locally, with diocesan support.

His interest in the role of Christian education and the laity has resulted in the emphasis on the growth of education and camp programs at DaySpring Episcopal Center, which serves as a hub for not only Episcopal congregations and youth events, but also faith groups and churches throughout the Southeast.

To sustain the work of parishes and DaySpring for generations to come, he created two endowments, each now at $1 million, and encouraged parish-level endowment giving.

Because of his formation in Episcopal schools, he was a strong supporter of Episcopal education in the diocese and nationally. Within the diocese, he has encouraged Episcopal schools to fulfill Christ’s mission to an ever-changing student body within a well-tested Episcopal tradition.

He is remembered for his passion for the health of congregations, pastoral care of clergy, development of leaders, the establishment of diocesan-wide endowment programs, support of Episcopal schools, and the establishment of DaySpring Episcopal Center’s master plan. During his tenure in Southwest Florida, Bishop Smith served on numerous boards within the Episcopal Church including: Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation; Dominican Development Group; University of the South – “Sewanee”, Board of Regents, Nashotah House Theological Seminary Board; the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church; and Board of Trustees, Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa. In 2015, he was honored to be one of the four bishops to be nominated to become the 27th Presiding Bishop and Primate of the Episcopal Church USA.

Bishop Smith earned a B.A. in broadcasting production from the University of South Florida, Tampa (1980); an M. Div. from Nashotah House, cum laude (1987); and a D. Min. from Seabury-Western Theological Seminary with special focus on congregational development (1999). Since election as bishop, he has received honorary doctorates from Nashotah House in 2007, Sewanee University of the South in 2008 and Seabury-Western in 2008.

Bishop Smith served as president of the Bishop Gray Retirement Foundation, which is a legacy from the original Diocese of South Florida. He also serves as a member of the board of directors of the Dominican Development Group. At the 2015 General Convention, he was appointed by the Presiding Bishop to chair the Mission Beyond the Episcopal Church committee of the Executive Council of the Episcopal Church.  He also serves the church as a member of Executive Council. In the Diocese of Southwest Florida, he serves on the board of Berkeley Preparatory School in Tampa.

His service has included chairman of the Episcopal Church Building Fund, boardmember of the Seminary of the Southwest, Board of Regents of University of the South and member of the House of Bishops Planning Committee. Bishop Smith is a former Vice President of Province IV, where he sat on the Presiding Bishop’s Council of Advice.

Following his retirement in 2022, Bishop Smith accepted an invitation from the Rt. Rev. Mark Stevenson to serve as Visiting Bishop in the Diocese of Virginia. Serving in Virginia provided him with the meaningful opportunity to visit churches where his father, the Rev. Dorsey Smith, had grown up and served. After relocating to Orlando, Bishop Smith was appointed in January 2024 by the Rt. Rev. Justin S. Holcomb to Assisting Bishop in the Diocese of Central Florida. In this role, he cherished the opportunity to return to his sending diocese and visit churches he once served.

Throughout his life, he had a passion for spending time with his family, reading historical biographies, and composing and playing music with his friends. Upon retirement he enjoyed recording the songs he had written over the years in his home studio.

Last Updated: 1-21-25