Florida Attorney General Explained

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:Ashley Moody
Department:Department of Legal Affairs
Style:The Honorable
Incumbentsince:January 8, 2019
Termlength:Four years, renewable once
Formation:1845
Inaugural:Joseph Branch
Website:http://myfloridalegal.com/
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 current attorney general is Republican Ashley Moody, who took office on January 8, 2019.

Election and terms of office

As with other elected statewide offices in Florida, the attorney general is limited to serving two consecutive four-year terms.[1]

The attorney general is second (behind the lieutenant governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Florida.[2] [3]

Removal from office

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.[4]

Powers and duties

The Florida solicitor general is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the attorney general. The current solicitor is Henry C. Whitaker.[5]

List of Florida attorneys general

Party! Attorneys general
Democratic27
Republicanalign=right 10
Whigalign=right 1
ImageNameTerm of servicePolitical party
1Joseph Branch1845–1846Democratic
2Augustus Maxwell1846–1848Democratic
3James T. Archer1848Democratic
4David P. Hogue1848–1853Whig
5Mariano D. Papy1853–1861Democratic
6John B. Galbraith1861–1868Democratic
7James Westcott III1868Democratic
8A. R. Meek1868–1870Republican
9Sherman Conant1870–1871Republican
10J. B. C. Drew1871–1872Republican
11Horatio Bisbee Jr.1872Republican
12J. P. C. Emmons1872–1873Republican
13William A. Cocke1873–1877Democratic
14George P. Raney1877–1885Democratic
15Charles Merian Cooper1885–1889Democratic
16William Bailey Lamar1889–1903Democratic
17James B. Whitfield1903–1904Democratic
18W. H. Ellis1904–1909Democratic
19Park Trammell1909–1913Democratic
20Thomas F. West1913–1917Democratic
21Van C. Swearingen1917–1921Democratic
22Rivers Buford1921–1925Democratic
23J. B. Johnson1925–1927Democratic
24Fred Henry Davis1927–1931Democratic
25Cary D. Landis1931–1938Democratic
26George Couper Gibbs1938–1941Democratic
27J. Thomas Watson1941–1949Democratic
28Richard Ervin1949–1964Democratic
29James W. Kynes1964–1965Democratic
30Earl Faircloth1965–1971Democratic
31Robert L. Shevin1971–1979Democratic
32James C. Smith1979–1987Democratic
33Bob Butterworth1987–2002Democratic
34Richard E. Doran2002–2003Republican
35Charlie Crist2003–2007Republican
36Bill McCollum2007–2011Republican
37Pam Bondi2011–2019Republican
38Ashley Moody2019–presentRepublican

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. 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, § 4
  2. Web site: Constitution of Florida: Article IV, Section 3. Florida Legislature. August 22, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20081208105533/http://www.leg.state.fl.us/statutes/index.cfm?mode=constitution&submenu=3&tab=statutes#A4S03. December 8, 2008. dead.
  3. Web site: Florida Statutes 14.055. Law Server. August 22, 2019.
  4. 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, § 17
  5. Web site: Florida Attorney General - Solicitor General . 2023-04-08 . www.myfloridalegal.com.