Attorney General of Florida


The attorney general of Florida is the chief legal officer of the U.S. state of Florida. The officeholder is a member of the Florida Cabinet and the head of the state Department of Legal Affairs. The office is one of Florida's three elected state cabinet posts, along with the chief financial officer and agriculture commissioner.
James Uthmeier has been the 30th and current attorney general since 2025, having been appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis to replace Ashley Moody, who resigned to become a United States senator.

Qualifications and term of office

Article IV, Section 4, of the Constitution of Florida establishes the cabinet and the position of the attorney general. As with other elected statewide offices in Florida, the attorney general is limited to serving two consecutive four-year terms. The attorney general must meet the following qualifications to be eligible for the office:
  • A registered elector;
  • Not be less than 30 years old;
  • Have resided in the state for the preceding 7 years; and
  • Have been a member of the Florida Bar for 5 years.
The attorney general is second in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Florida.

Removal from office

The Florida attorney general can be impeached for committing a "misdemeanor in office" by the State House of Representatives, and then convicted and thereby removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the State Senate.

Powers and duties

Title IV, Chapter 16 of the Florida statutes establish the general duties of the office. The general duties of the attorney general are as follows:
  • Issue official opinions on any question of law when requested in writing by a state officers or legislator;
  • Appear on behalf of the state in any civil suit or criminal prosecution, and in the Supreme Court of Florida and its appellate courts;
  • Act as co-counsel of record in capital collateral proceedings;
  • Other duties incident or usual to the office; and
  • Request the opinion of the justices of the supreme court as to the validity of any initiative petition circulated pursuant to Section 3 of Article XI of the Florida constitution.
The Florida solicitor general is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general. The current solicitor is Henry C. Whitaker.

List of Florida attorneys general

#ImageNameTerm of servicePolitical party
1Joseph Branch1845–1846Democratic
2Augustus Maxwell1846–1848Democratic
3James T. Archer1848Democratic
4David P. Hogue1848–1853Whig
5Mariano D. Papy1853–1861Democratic
6John B. Galbraith1861–1868Democratic
7James Westcott III1868Democratic
8A. R. Meek1868–1870Republican
9Sherman Conant1870–1871Republican
10J. B. C. Drew1871–1872Republican
11Horatio Bisbee Jr.1872Republican
12J. P. C. Emmons1872–1873Republican
13William A. Cocke1873–1877Democratic
14George P. Raney1877–1885Democratic
15Charles Merian Cooper1885–1889Democratic
16William Bailey Lamar1889–1903Democratic
17James B. Whitfield1903–1904Democratic
18W. H. Ellis1904–1909Democratic
19Park Trammell1909–1913Democratic
20Thomas F. West1913–1917Democratic
21Van C. Swearingen1917–1921Democratic
22Rivers Buford1921–1925Democratic
23J. B. Johnson1925–1927Democratic
24Fred Henry Davis1927–1931Democratic
25Cary D. Landis1931–1938Democratic
26George Couper Gibbs1938–1941Democratic
27J. Thomas Watson1941–1949Democratic
28Richard Ervin1949–1964Democratic
29James W. Kynes1964–1965Democratic
30Earl Faircloth1965–1971Democratic
31Robert L. Shevin1971–1979Democratic
32James C. Smith1979–1987Democratic
33Bob Butterworth1987–2002Democratic
34Richard E. Doran2002–2003Republican
35Charlie Crist2003–2007Republican
36Bill McCollum2007–2011Republican
37Pam Bondi2011–2019Republican
38Ashley Moody2019–2025Republican
--John M. Guard
Acting		2025Republican
39James Uthmeier2025–presentRepublican