Florida Attorney General
Attorney General of Florida | |
---|---|
since January 8, 2019 | |
Department of Legal Affairs | |
Term length | Four years, renewable once |
Inaugural holder | Joseph Branch |
Formation | 1845 |
Website | http://myfloridalegal.com/ |
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 appoints the Florida solicitor general who serves at his or her pleasure. The current solicitor is Amit Agarwal.[2]
The attorney general is second (behind the lieutenant governor) in the line of succession to the office of Governor of Florida.[3][4]
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.
List of Florida attorneys general
Party | Attorneys General | |
---|---|---|
Democratic | 27 | |
Republican | 10 | |
Whig | 1 |
# | 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–present | Republican |
Living former Florida attorneys general
As of December 2024, there are six living former Florida attorneys general, the oldest being James C. Smith (served 1979–1987, born 1940). The most recent attorney general to die was Robert L. Shevin on July 11, 2005 (served 1971–1979, born 1934).
Name | Term of office | Date of birth (and age) |
---|---|---|
James C. Smith | 1979–1987 | May 25, 1940 |
Bob Butterworth | 1987–2002 | August 20, 1942 |
Richard E. Doran | 2002–2003 | December 26, 1956 |
Charlie Crist | 2003–2007 | July 24, 1956 |
Bill McCollum | 2007–2011 | July 12, 1944 |
Pam Bondi | 2011–2019 | November 17, 1965 |
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James C. Smith, 1979–1987
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Bob Butterworth, 1987–2002
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Richard E. Doran, 2002–2003
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Charlie Crist, 2003-2007
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Bill McCollum, 2007–2011
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Pam Bondi, 2011–2019
See also
References
- ^ Fla. Const. art. VI, § 4
- ^ "News Release - Attorney General Bondi Appoints Amit Agarwal as Solicitor General". www.myfloridalegal.com. Archived from the original on 2016-06-13.
- ^ "Constitution of Florida: Article IV, Section 3". Florida Legislature. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
- ^ "Florida Statutes 14.055". Law Server. Retrieved August 22, 2019.
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