| Post: | Attorney General |
| Body: | Florida |
| Insignia: | Seal of the Attorney General of Florida.jpg |
| Insigniasize: | 120px |
| Insigniacaption: | Seal of the attorney general of Florida |
| Incumbent: | John Guard |
| Acting: | y |
| Department: | Department of Legal Affairs |
| Style: | The Honorable |
| Incumbentsince: | January 21, 2025 |
| Termlength: | Four years, renewable once |
| Formation: | 1845 |
| Inaugural: | Joseph Branch |
| Seat: | Tallahassee, Florida |
| Appointer: | Popular vote |
| Type: | Chief legal officer |
| Constituting Instrument: | Constitution of Florida |
| Member Of: | Florida Executive Branch Florida Cabinet |
The Florida attorney general is an elected cabinet official in the U.S. state of Florida. The 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 and agriculture commissioner. The office is currently held by deputy attorney general John Guard following the resignation of Republican Ashley Moody to become a United States Senator on January 21, 2025. Governor Ron DeSantis has appointed Chief of Staff James Uthmeier as the next attorney general.[1]
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.[2] The attorney general must meet the following qualifications to be eligible for the office:
The attorney general is second (behind the lieutenant governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Florida.[3] [4]
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.[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]
The Florida solicitor general is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general. The current solicitor is Henry C. Whitaker.[7]
| Democratic | 27 | |||
| Republican | align=right | 10 | ||
| Whig | align=right | 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 | ||
| 39 | James Uthmeier (pending) | 2025-present | Republican |