| Attorney General of Florida | |
|---|---|
Seal of the attorney general of Florida | |
since February 17, 2025 | |
| Department of Legal Affairs | |
| Style | The Honorable |
| Type | Chief legal officer |
| Member of | Florida Executive Branch Florida Cabinet |
| Seat | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Appointer | Popular vote |
| Term length | Four years, renewable once |
| Constituting instrument | Constitution of Florida |
| Inaugural holder | Joseph Branch |
| Formation | 1845 |
| Succession | Second |
| Website | Official website |
TheFlorida attorney general is an electedcabinet official in theU.S. state ofFlorida. Theattorney 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 thechief financial officer andagriculture commissioner. The office is held byJames Uthmeier, who was appointed by GovernorRon DeSantis following the resignation ofAshley Moody to become aUnited States senator.[1]
Article IV, Section 4, of theConstitution 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.[2] The attorney general must meet the following qualifications to be eligible for the office:
The attorney general is second (behind thelieutenant governor) in theline of succession to the office ofGovernor of Florida.[3][4]
The Florida attorney general can beimpeached for committing a "misdemeanor in office" by theState House of Representatives, and then convicted and thereby removed from office by a two-thirds vote of theState Senate.[5]
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:[6]
TheFlorida solicitor general is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general. The current solicitor is Henry C. Whitaker.[7]
| Party | Attorneys general | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 27 | |
| Republican | 11 | |
| Whig | 1 | |
| # | Image | Name | Term of service | Political party |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Joseph Branch | 1845–1846 | Democratic | |
| 2 | Augustus Maxwell | 1846–1848 | Democratic | |
| 3 | James T. Archer | 1848 | Democratic | |
| 4 | David P. Hogue | 1848–1853 | Whig | |
| 5 | Mariano D. Papy | 1853–1861 | Democratic | |
| 6 | John B. Galbraith | 1861–1868 | Democratic | |
| 7 | James Westcott III | 1868 | Democratic | |
| 8 | A. R. Meek | 1868–1870 | Republican | |
| 9 | Sherman Conant | 1870–1871 | Republican | |
| 10 | J. B. C. Drew | 1871–1872 | Republican | |
| 11 | Horatio Bisbee Jr. | 1872 | Republican | |
| 12 | J. P. C. Emmons | 1872–1873 | Republican | |
| 13 | William A. Cocke | 1873–1877 | Democratic | |
| 14 | George P. Raney | 1877–1885 | Democratic | |
| 15 | Charles Merian Cooper | 1885–1889 | Democratic | |
| 16 | William Bailey Lamar | 1889–1903 | Democratic | |
| 17 | James B. Whitfield | 1903–1904 | Democratic | |
| 18 | W. H. Ellis | 1904–1909 | Democratic | |
| 19 | Park Trammell | 1909–1913 | Democratic | |
| 20 | Thomas F. West | 1913–1917 | Democratic | |
| 21 | Van C. Swearingen | 1917–1921 | Democratic | |
| 22 | Rivers Buford | 1921–1925 | Democratic | |
| 23 | J. B. Johnson | 1925–1927 | Democratic | |
| 24 | Fred Henry Davis | 1927–1931 | Democratic | |
| 25 | Cary D. Landis | 1931–1938 | Democratic | |
| 26 | George Couper Gibbs | 1938–1941 | Democratic | |
| 27 | J. Thomas Watson | 1941–1949 | Democratic | |
| 28 | Richard Ervin | 1949–1964 | Democratic | |
| 29 | James W. Kynes | 1964–1965 | Democratic | |
| 30 | Earl Faircloth | 1965–1971 | Democratic | |
| 31 | Robert L. Shevin | 1971–1979 | Democratic | |
| 32 | James C. Smith | 1979–1987 | Democratic | |
| 33 | Bob Butterworth | 1987–2002 | Democratic | |
| 34 | ![]() | Richard E. Doran | 2002–2003 | Republican |
| 35 | Charlie Crist | 2003–2007 | Republican | |
| 36 | Bill McCollum | 2007–2011 | Republican | |
| 37 | Pam Bondi | 2011–2019 | Republican | |
| 38 | Ashley Moody | 2019–2025 | Republican | |
| -- | John M. Guard Acting | 2025 | Republican | |
| 39 | James Uthmeier | 2025–present | Republican |