Who Is James Uthmeier? Inside the Career of Florida's Attorney General
James Uthmeier is the 39th Attorney General of Florida, sworn into office on February 17, 2025 after Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him to fill the unexpired term of Ashley Moody, who left the AG office to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio. Uthmeier was 37 when he took office, making him one of the youngest state attorneys general in the country. He filed paperwork on February 25, 2025 to seek a full term in his own right; the Republican primary is scheduled for August 18, 2026. This guide walks through how Uthmeier built his political and legal career, what his first year in the AG office has looked like, and what the office's operational portfolio means for Florida residents.
From Destin to Georgetown Law to the Trump Commerce Department
James William Uthmeier was born in Destin, Florida, on the Emerald Coast of the Florida Panhandle. He attended Fort Walton Beach High School and then the University of Florida, where he ran on the Gators track and field team while earning his undergraduate degree. He graduated from Georgetown University Law Center in 2014.
Uthmeier began his legal career as an associate at the international law firm Jones Day. In 2017 he joined the first Trump administration as senior counsel and senior advisor at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where he stayed through 2019. The Commerce Department role gave him federal-policy experience across regulatory programs, trade, and the 2020 Census preparation that occupied much of the department's attention during that period.
The DeSantis years: deputy general counsel, general counsel, chief of staff
Uthmeier returned to Florida in 2019 to join the office of newly-elected Governor Ron DeSantis as deputy general counsel. He was promoted to general counsel in 2020 and to chief of staff in 2021. The chief-of-staff role made him the operational head of the governor's office during the most politically consequential period of the DeSantis administration — the COVID-19 policy decisions, the redistricting litigation, the public-school curriculum reforms, the Disney corporate-governance dispute, and the run-up to DeSantis's 2024 presidential campaign.
In August 2023, Uthmeier became campaign manager for the DeSantis 2024 presidential campaign while remaining chief of staff to the governor's office. He held both roles until DeSantis suspended his presidential campaign in January 2024, after which Uthmeier returned full-time to the chief-of-staff position. He held that position until DeSantis appointed him Attorney General in February 2025. His electoral and biographical record on Ballotpedia traces the appointment timeline.
The Florida Attorney General's office
The Florida Office of the Attorney General is the chief legal office of Florida state government. The office represents the state in civil litigation, defends the constitutionality of state statutes when challenged in federal court, prosecutes certain statewide criminal categories (Medicaid fraud, statewide grand-jury matters, child predators), runs a consumer-protection division that handles consumer-fraud complaints, regulates charities operating in Florida, and increasingly under recent administrations has filed federal-court litigation against federal-government policies the office disagrees with.
Uthmeier's office has continued the multistate-coalition litigation pattern that defined Ashley Moody's tenure, joining coalitions of Republican-state attorneys general in federal litigation against the Biden administration's regulatory actions during the latter's final months, then against the Trump administration's policy priorities through the early months of 2025 and into 2026. The pattern places Florida at the front of state-driven federal litigation regardless of which party controls the federal executive.
Beyond federal litigation, Uthmeier has continued the office's consumer-protection enforcement, with announced actions targeting telephone-based fraud schemes targeting elderly Floridians, online price-gouging investigations following Hurricane Helene and other natural-disaster events, and antitrust investigations of national companies operating in Florida.
The 2026 election
Uthmeier filed for the 2026 Florida Attorney General Republican primary in late February 2025, immediately after his appointment to the office. The Republican primary is scheduled for August 18, 2026, with the general election in November 2026. Uthmeier carries the appointment incumbency, the DeSantis political organization's support, and four years of experience as the governor's chief of staff into the primary. The Democratic field for the 2026 Florida AG race has been limited.
The substantive policy emphasis Uthmeier has stated for the campaign is the same one he announced at his swearing-in: continuing the office's consumer-protection enforcement, prosecuting human trafficking and organized criminal activity, joining federal-court litigation that defends Florida's policy choices against federal-government overreach, and what Uthmeier described in his swearing-in remarks as "championing an America First agenda." His official biographical page on MyFloridaLegal.com details the office's organizational priorities.
What this matters for Floridians
The Florida Attorney General's operational reach into Florida residents' lives runs through several specific functions. Consumer-protection complaints — fraud, deceptive trade practices, price gouging during emergencies — are filed through the office's online intake at myfloridalegal.com. The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit prosecutes provider fraud against the Florida Medicaid program, which serves more than 4 million Floridians. The Charities Bureau regulates nonprofits soliciting in Florida. The Statewide Prosecutor's office prosecutes multi-jurisdictional crimes that cross county lines.
Most ordinary criminal prosecutions in Florida are handled by elected State Attorneys (the Florida term for elected county-level prosecutors), not by the AG. The Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution within the AG office handles cases that span multiple judicial circuits or that require statewide investigative resources. Civil and personal-injury litigation in Florida runs through the state's circuit-court system with private-practice attorneys, governed by Florida-specific statutes that differ in important ways from other states' frameworks.
For Floridians evaluating a specific personal-injury or auto-accident claim, our Miami car accident lawyer guide walks through Florida's no-fault PIP system, the $10,000 PIP coverage requirement, the "permanent injury" threshold for pursuing additional damages from the at-fault driver, and the Florida-specific procedural sequence.
Bottom line
James Uthmeier entered the Florida Attorney General's office in February 2025 with extensive Florida governor's-office experience, federal Commerce Department experience, a Republican-coalition orientation on federal litigation, and an explicit DeSantis political organization endorsement. His first year has continued the multistate-coalition pattern of recent Republican state-AG offices while adding consumer-protection enforcement priorities targeting elderly fraud, human trafficking, and price gouging during natural-disaster events. The 2026 election will determine whether he holds the office for a full four-year term running through January 2031.
Frequently asked questions
Who is the current Attorney General of Florida?
James Uthmeier has served as Florida Attorney General since February 17, 2025. Governor Ron DeSantis appointed him to fill the unexpired term of Ashley Moody, who left the AG office to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by Marco Rubio. Uthmeier is running in the 2026 Republican primary on August 18, 2026 to seek a full term in his own right.
What was James Uthmeier's career before becoming AG?
Uthmeier graduated from the University of Florida and Georgetown University Law Center (2014). He worked as an associate at Jones Day, then served in the first Trump administration as senior counsel at the U.S. Department of Commerce (2017–2019). He joined Governor Ron DeSantis's office as deputy general counsel in 2019, became general counsel in 2020, and was chief of staff to Governor DeSantis from 2021 through his 2025 appointment to AG. He also served as campaign manager for DeSantis's 2024 presidential campaign.
What does the Florida Attorney General do?
The Florida AG is the chief legal officer of Florida state government. The office represents the state in civil litigation, defends the constitutionality of state statutes, prosecutes statewide criminal categories (Medicaid fraud, human trafficking, statewide grand-jury matters), runs a Consumer Protection Division that handles consumer-fraud complaints, regulates charities operating in Florida, and files federal-court litigation against federal-government policies. Most ordinary criminal prosecutions in Florida are handled by elected State Attorneys at the county level, not by the AG.
How do I file a consumer complaint with the Florida AG?
The Florida Attorney General's Office accepts consumer complaints through the online intake portal at myfloridalegal.com/contact-us. Common categories include consumer fraud, deceptive trade practices, price gouging during declared emergencies, charitable-solicitation fraud, and Medicaid fraud reporting. Each category has its own intake form and process.
When is the 2026 Florida AG election?
The 2026 Florida Republican primary for Attorney General is scheduled for August 18, 2026. The general election is in November 2026. Uthmeier filed for the Republican primary on February 25, 2025, immediately after his appointment to the office. The Democratic field has been limited.
Sources
- Florida Office of the Attorney General — Attorney General James Uthmeier biographical page.
- Florida Office of the Attorney General — myfloridalegal.com public-facing portal.
- James Uthmeier biographical record on Wikipedia.
- James Uthmeier electoral and biographical record on Ballotpedia.
- CBS Miami — Who is James Uthmeier? Gov. DeSantis appoints new Florida attorney general.
- The State AG Report — Spotlight: Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier.
- The Federalist Society — James William Uthmeier biographical entry.
Featured image: photo by Mick Haupt on Unsplash.
This article is general legal information about the Florida Office of the Attorney General and is not legal advice. For case-specific evaluation of a Florida legal matter, contact a Florida-licensed attorney in the relevant practice area.