View source for Florida Attorney General

{{Short description|Chief legal officer of Florida}}
{{Infobox official post
| post = Attorney General
| body = Florida
| insignia = Office of the Attorney General, State of Florida official seal (cropped).png
| insigniasize = 120px
| insigniacaption = Seal of the attorney general of Florida
| image = Official portrait of Attorney General James Uthmeier, 2025 (cropped).jpg
| incumbent = [[James Uthmeier]]
| department = [[Florida Department of Legal Affairs|Department of Legal Affairs]]
| style = [[The Honorable]]
| incumbentsince = February 17, 2025
| termlength = Four years, renewable once
| formation = 1845
| inaugural = [[Joseph Branch (Florida politician)|Joseph Branch]]
| website = {{Official}}
| seat = [[Tallahassee, Florida]]
| appointer = [[Direct election|Popular vote]]
| type = [[Attorney General|Chief legal officer]]
| constituting_instrument = [[Constitution of Florida]]
| succession = [[Gubernatorial_lines_of_succession_in_the_United_States#Florida|Second]]
| member_of = [[Government of Florida|Florida Executive Branch]] <br> [[Florida Cabinet]]
}}
The '''Florida attorney general''' is an elected [[Florida Cabinet|cabinet]] official in the [[U.S. state]] of [[Florida]]. The [[State attorney general|attorney general]] serves as the chief legal officer of the state, and is head of the Florida Department of Legal Affairs.

The office is one of Florida's three elected state cabinet posts, along with the [[Chief Financial Officer of Florida|chief financial officer]] and [[Florida Commissioner of Agriculture|agriculture commissioner]]. The office is held by [[James Uthmeier]], who was appointed by Governor [[Ron DeSantis]] following the resignation of [[Ashley Moody]] to become a [[United States Senator|United States senator]]. <ref>{{Cite web |last=Caputo |first=Liv |date=2025-01-16 |title=DeSantis' Chief of Staff James Uthmeier to be the Next Florida Attorney General |url=https://floridianpress.com/2025/01/desantis-chief-of-staff-james-uthmeier-to-be-the-next-florida-attorney-general/ |access-date=2025-01-27 |website=The Floridian |language=en-US}}</ref>

== 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.<ref>[http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes&CFID=143655674&CFTOKEN=1197218eac43d116-98C82042-9348-4132-9E088286BC4CD50A#A6S04 Fla. Const. art. VI, §&nbsp;4]</ref> 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 (behind the [[Lieutenant Governor of Florida|lieutenant governor]]) in the [[Gubernatorial lines of succession in the United States#Florida|line of succession]] to the office of [[Governor of Florida]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes#A4S03|title=Constitution of Florida: Article IV, Section 3|work=[[Florida Legislature]]|access-date=August 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081208105533/http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=constitution&submenu=3&tab=statutes#A4S03|archive-date=December 8, 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.lawserver.com/law/state/florida/statutes/florida_statutes_14-055|title=Florida Statutes 14.055|work=Law Server|access-date=August 22, 2019}}</ref>

=== Removal from office ===
The Florida attorney general can be [[Impeachment in the United States|impeached]] for committing a "misdemeanor in office" by the [[Florida House of Representatives|State House of Representatives]], and then convicted and thereby removed from office by a two-thirds vote of the [[Florida Senate|State Senate]].<ref>[http://www.leg.state.fl.us/Statutes/index.cfm?Mode=Constitution&Submenu=3&Tab=statutes&CFID=143655674&CFTOKEN=1197218eac43d116-98C82042-9348-4132-9E088286BC4CD50A#A3S17 Fla. Const. art. III, §&nbsp;17]</ref>

==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:<ref>{{Cite web |title=FL Stat § 16.01 (2023) |url=https://law.justia.com/codes/florida/2023/title-iv/chapter-16/section-16-01/ |access-date=2025-01-29 |website=Justia Law |language=en}}</ref>

* 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|Florida solicitor general]] is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general. The current solicitor is Henry C. Whitaker.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Florida Attorney General - Solicitor General |url=http://www.myfloridalegal.com/pages.nsf/Main/D0B34FAEB8C543B285256CC60079E42A |access-date=2023-04-08 |website=www.myfloridalegal.com}}</ref>

== List of Florida attorneys general ==
{| class=wikitable style="float:right;margin:0 0 0.5em 1em;"
|+Attorneys general by party affiliation
! colspan=2 | Party
! Attorneys general
|- {{party shading/Democratic}}
| colspan=2 | [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic]]
|align=right| 27
|- {{party shading/Republican}}
| colspan=2 | [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]]
| align=right | 11
|- {{party shading/Whig}}
| colspan=2 | [[Whig Party (United States)|Whig]]
| align=right | 1
|}
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! #
! Image
! Name
! Term of service
! Political party
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|1
|[[File:Joseph Branch.jpg|60px]]
|[[Joseph Branch (Florida politician)|Joseph Branch]]
|1845–1846
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|2
|[[File:AugustusMaxwell.jpg|60px]]
|[[Augustus Maxwell]]
|1846–1848
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|3
|[[File:James Tillinghast Archer.jpg|60px]]
|[[James T. Archer]]
|1848
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Whig}}
|4
|[[File:David P. Hogue Florida Attorney General.png|60px]]
|[[David P. Hogue]]
|1848–1853
|Whig
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|5
|[[File:MarianoPapy.jpg|60px]]
|[[Mariano D. Papy]]
|1853–1861
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|6
|[[File:John B. Galbraith.jpg|60px]]
|[[John B. Galbraith]]
|1861–1868
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|7
|[[File:James Westcott III.jpg|60px]]
|[[James Westcott III]]
|1868
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|8
|
|[[A. R. Meek]]
|1868–1870
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|9
|
|[[Sherman Conant]]
|1870–1871
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|10
|[[File:J. B. C. Drew.png|60px]]
|[[J. B. C. Drew]]
|1871–1872
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|11
|[[File:HoratioBisbee.jpg|60px]]
|[[Horatio Bisbee Jr.]]
|1872
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|12
|
|[[J. P. C. Emmons]]
|1872–1873
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|13
|[[File:William Archer Cocke.jpg|60px]]
|[[William A. Cocke]]
|1873–1877
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|14
|[[File:GeorgePettusRaney.jpg|60px]]
|[[George P. Raney]]
|1877–1885
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|15
|[[File:Charles Merian Cooper.jpg|60px]]
|[[Charles Merian Cooper]]
|1885–1889
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|16
|[[File:WilliamBLamar.jpg|60px]]
|[[William Bailey Lamar]]
|1889–1903
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|17
|[[File:Jbwhitfield.jpg|60px]]
|[[James B. Whitfield]]
|1903–1904
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|18
|[[File:W. H. Ellis.jpg|60px]]
|[[W. H. Ellis]]
|1904–1909
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|19
|[[File:ParkTrammell.jpg|60px]]
|[[Park Trammell]]
|1909–1913
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|20
|[[File:ThomasFranklinWest.jpg|60px]]
|[[Thomas F. West]]
|1913–1917
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|21
|[[File:VanCiceroSwearingen.jpg|60px]]
|[[Van C. Swearingen]]
|1917–1921
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|22
|[[File:RiversHBuford.jpg|60px]]
|[[Rivers Buford]]
|1921–1925
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|23
|[[File:J. B. Johnson.jpg|60px]]
|[[J. B. Johnson (Florida politician)|J. B. Johnson]]
|1925–1927
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|24
|[[File:Fred Henry Davis.jpg|60px]]
|[[Fred Henry Davis]]
|1927–1931
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|25
|[[File:Cary D Landis.jpg|60px]]
|[[Cary D. Landis]]
|1931–1938
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|26
|[[File:George Couper Gibbs.jpg|60px]]
|[[George Couper Gibbs]]
|1938–1941
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|27
|[[File:J. Thomas Watson.jpg|60px]]
|[[J. Thomas Watson]]
|1941–1949
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|28
|[[File:Richard W Ervin.jpg|60px]]
|[[Richard Ervin]]
|1949–1964
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|29
|[[File:James W Kynes.jpg|60px]]
|[[James W. Kynes]]
|1964–1965
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|30
|[[File:Earl Faircloth.jpg|60px]]
|[[Earl Faircloth]]
|1965–1971
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|31
|[[File:Robert L. Shevin (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[Robert L. Shevin]]
|1971–1979
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|32
|[[File:Portrait of Attorney General Jim Smith - Tallahassee, Florida.jpg|60px]]
|[[James C. Smith (politician)|James C. Smith]]
|1979–1987
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Democratic}}
|33
|[[File:Bob Butterworth (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[Bob Butterworth]]
|1987–2002
|Democratic
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|34
|[[File:Richard Doran.jpg|60px]]
|[[Richard E. Doran]]
|2002–2003
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|35
|[[File:Charlie Crist official portrait crop.jpg|60px]]
|[[Charlie Crist]]
|2003–2007
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|36
|[[File:McCollum bio photo (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[Bill McCollum]]
|2007–2011
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|37
|[[File:Bondi bio photo crop.jpg|60px]]
|[[Pam Bondi]]
|2011–2019
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|38
|[[File:AttorneyGeneral AshleyMoody (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[Ashley Moody]]
|2019–2025
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
| --
|
| [[John M. Guard]]<br>{{small|Acting}}
| 2025
| Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|39
|[[File:Official portrait of Attorney General James Uthmeier, 2025 (cropped).jpg|60px]]
|[[James Uthmeier]]
|2025–present
|Republican
|-{{Party shading/Republican}}
|}

== See also ==
*[[Constitution of Florida]]
*[[Florida Cabinet]]
*[[Florida Democratic Party]]
*[[Republican Party of Florida]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official}}
* [http://www.abajournal.com/search/results/search&keywords=Florida+Attorney+General/ Florida Attorney General] articles at ''ABA Journal''
* [http://public.findlaw.com/LCsearch.html?restrict=consumer&entry=%22Florida+Attorney+General%22 News and Commentary] at [[FindLaw]]
* [http://law.justia.com/codes/florida/ Florida Statutes] at Law.Justia.com
* [http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/scripts/getcase.pl?court=us&navby=title&v1=State+of+Florida U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Florida"] at [[FindLaw]]
* [http://www.floridabar.org/ The Florida Bar]
* [http://www.naag.org/naag/attorneys-general/whos-my-ag/florida/pam-bondi.php Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi profile] at [[National Association of Attorneys General]]
* [http://www.myfloridalegal.com/newsrel.nsf/newsreleases Press releases] at Florida Attorney General's office
{{Current Florida statewide political officials}}
{{Florida Attorneys General}}	
{{U.S. State Attorneys General}}

[[Category:Florida attorneys general| ]]
[[Category:Florida law-related lists|Attorneys general]]