James Uthmeier sworn in as Florida's Attorney General
Prior to this new position, Uthmeier served as Chief of Staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis for over three years. Before that, Uthmeier served as General Counsel to the Executive Office of the Governor.
This morning, James Uthmeier was sworn in as Florida’s Attorney General (AG), succeeding now-Senator Ashley Moody.
Under article IV, section 5(b), of the Florida Constitution, “The attorney general must have been a member of the bar of Florida for the preceding five years.”
Section 16.01(6), Florida Statutes, provides that the Attorney General, in pertinent part, “[s]hall act as co-counsel of record in capital collateral proceedings.”
Prior to this new position, Uthmeier served as Chief of Staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis for over three years. Before that, Uthmeier served as General Counsel to the Executive Office of the Governor.
Gov. DeSantis spoke at the ceremony and said it was “not a difficult decision” to appoint Uthmeier to fill this role. He also said that, after the ceremony, they (Gov. DeSantis and Uthemeier) were headed off with the rest of the Cabinet to work on implementing Florida’s new immigration legislation. (Read more here.)
Florida Supreme Court Justice Meredith Sasso administered the oath to Uthmeier, who was joined by his family (photo below). After taking the oath, Uthmeier gave a few brief remarks. A video of the ceremony is available on Gov. DeSantis’s X account here.
According to Florida Politics, Uthmeier is already preparing to campaign for a full term as AG in the 2026 election.
