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.
| Attorney General of Florida | |
|---|---|
 Seal of the attorney general of Florida | |
| 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 |
| Website | http://myfloridalegal.com/ |
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 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic | 27 | |
| Republican | 10 | |
| 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 | .jpg) | Robert L. Shevin | 1971–1979 | Democratic |
| 32 |  | James C. Smith | 1979–1987 | Democratic |
| 33 | .jpg) | Bob Butterworth | 1987–2002 | Democratic |
| 34 |  | Richard E. Doran | 2002–2003 | Republican |
| 35 |  | Charlie Crist | 2003–2007 | Republican |
| 36 | .jpg) | Bill McCollum | 2007–2011 | Republican |
| 37 |  | Pam Bondi | 2011–2019 | Republican |
| 38 | .jpg) | Ashley Moody | 2019–present | Republican |
See also
References
External links
- Florida Attorney General official website
- Florida Attorney General articles at ABA Journal
- News and Commentary at FindLaw
- Florida Statutes at Law.Justia.com
- U.S. Supreme Court Opinions - "Cases with title containing: State of Florida" at FindLaw
- The Florida Bar
- Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi profile at National Association of Attorneys General
- Press releases at Florida Attorney General's office