Attorney General James Uthmeier Highlights Successful Year of Delivering for Floridians

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.-Under the leadership of Attorney General James Uthmeier, Floridians experienced an historical year that ushered a renewed meaning to law and order.

"The accomplishments this office achieved this year are ones for the record book, and Floridians can see that we are setting the national standard," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "We've locked up more dangerous criminals than ever before, rescued hundreds of missing children, and secured hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of Florida consumers. This is only the beginning, and our office will continue fighting every day to make this the safest place to raise a family."

Keeping Florida Safe

• Standing with Law Enforcement-Attorney General Uthmeier has stood with Florida's law enforcement since Day One of his administration, and he continues to do so as they continue to keep our communities safe. Together, they have tackled criminal networks that seek to do harm to Floridians, their businesses, and our state's visitors. They have apprehended and detained a record number of illegal aliens and continue to stand with the federal government in its efforts to deliver on the mandate given by voters last year. Unfortunately, many state and federal law enforcement officers have fallen victim to heinous acts by individuals who seek to harm those who protect our communities. In response, the Attorney General, in collaboration with the Florida Highway Patrol, launched a state program to protect our federal partners and their families from doxing and other harmful attacks.
• Leading the Nation in Illegal Immigration Efforts-In June, Attorney General Uthmeier took a bold approach in enforcing immigration laws by announcing his plan for Florida's one-stop-shop to carry out this mission: Alligator Alcatraz. After a federal activist judge tried to derail the state's efforts, Attorney General Uthmeier fought, and won, in court to keep it open.
  • After a criminal-illegal alien killed three individuals in a reckless trucking accident of Florida's Turnpike, Attorney General Uthmeier convinced the U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to revoke commercial driver's license (CDL) program authority from California and Washington. He followed this action with a lawsuit against California and Washington over their "sanctuary" policies that continue to reap havoc and take lives across our country.
• Protecting Florida's Children and Seniors-Attorney General Uthmeier leads the nation in ensuring that Florida's children are safe, with his top priority making this state the safest place in the nation to raise a family. Since his appointment in February, more than 1,200 child predators were arrested and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent the law allows. In 2025, the Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution convicted 382 criminal defendants and sentenced these criminals to 1,688 years in the Florida Department of Corrections.
  • Additionally, the Attorney General, alongside the United States Marshals Service, state, and local law enforcement, successfully rescued more than 300 missing and endangered children. Included in this number, are those who were saved in the largest child-recovery operations in American history - Operations Dragon Eye and Home for the Holidays.​​​​​​​
  • In June, the Attorney General led a series of successful surprise search and seizure operations in three state prisons looking for contraband due to reports of inmates targeting seniors with fraudulent schemes from behind bars. The operation resulted in the recovery of cell phones, SIM cards, batteries, chargers, Wi-Fi hotspots, headphones and SD cards.
  • In October, following a rigorous on-site assessment, the Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) officially earned its law enforcement accreditation from the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation-a historic milestone since the unit's creation within the Florida Department of Legal Affairs. The MFCU investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state's Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices, and investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.
• Ensuring the Health and Well-being of All Floridians-Following concerns from the Trump administration and reporting from the Florida Department of Health, the Attorney General issued an emergency rule classifying the concentrated kratom derivative, 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH), as a Schedule I controlled substance in Florida. 7-OH products carry a high risk of addiction, overdose, and death. Additionally, the Attorney General, alongside the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, successfully seized tens of thousands of 7-OH products across the state.
  • In November, the Attorney General filed a lawsuit against Planned Parenthood for deceptively marketing chemical abortion drugs as "safer than Tylenol," despite that claim being repeatedly debunked by scientific studies and expert testimony. The lawsuit explains that Planned Parenthood exploited patient trust, presenting a clear violation of Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act and Florida's RICO Act. In December, Attorney General Uthmeier joined a federal lawsuit in Texas against the U.S. Food & Drug Administration, challenging the unlawful approval and distribution of the abortion pill, mifepristone, seeking to hold the Biden administration accountable and remove a dangerous drug from the market.
  • Additionally in December, the Attorney General filed the nation's first lawsuit against the World Professional Association for Transgender Health, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Endocrine Society for promoting unproven and irreversible "gender-affirming care" for children. The lawsuit alleges that the medical organizations misled parents and prioritized political ideology over patient safety.
  • In March, the Attorney General announced a $79 million settlement with JUUL Labs, Inc. to resolve litigation over the company's past marketing that targeted children in Florida. Of the $79 million, $30 million are funding the Vape Free Florida Fund to aid in the enforcement of the state's nicotine and vapor laws at the direction of Attorney General Uthmeier. Additionally, as a result of the settlement, JUUL shall not take any action to reach youth in Florida in the advertising, promotion, or marketing of JUUL products.

Keeping Florida Strong

• Protecting Parents' Rights-Last spring, the Attorney General launched his first-in-the nation Office of Parental Rights (OPR), establishing a concrete avenue to justice for parents and families whose rights have been violated. Following the signing of OPR's signing of a Memorandum of Agreement with the Florida Department of Education, OPR has continually fought for parents' rights to make decisions for their own children.
  • In May, the Office of Statewide Prosecution won an appeal to uphold a ruling that requires parental consent for minor children to undergo dangerous abortion procedures. That same month, the Attorney General urged the Hillsborough County School Board to remove books containing pornographic content, as identified by OPR and the Department of Education, from their school libraries. The Attorney General made it clear that children having access to mature themes should be the decision of the parents, not the school district. Shortly after the letter was sent, Hillsborough County confirmed that it had removed the materials.
  • In June, the Attorney General raised concerns with Alachua County Public Schools after learning that a county-run summer camp was unlawfully allowing boys and girls to bunk together. Following urging from the Attorney General to correct their protocol, the Alachua County superintendent issued a statement confirming that the camp would be adhering to state law.
  • In October, after receiving complaints from students in Suwannee County that they were blocked from forming chapters of Turning Point USA, Attorney General Uthmeier called out the district for political discrimination. The county soon came into compliance with Florida law and allowed students to start TPUSA chapters.
  • The Attorney General continues to protect children from the dangers of pornography by continuing to enforce Florida's HB 3 by bringing lawsuits against major foreign and domestic pornography distributors.
• Empowering Businesses and Keeping Convenience in Stores-Ahead of the busy holiday shopping season, Attorney General James Uthmeier convened a Retail Theft Investigative Special Task Force with the purpose of aggressively combatting organized retail theft in Florida.
  • Retail thefts cause massive financial loss to Florida businesses each year. Many business owners and corporations are forced to increase prices as a result, punishing Florida consumers. The task force removes jurisdictional barriers and allows investigators to close their cases with stronger charges. The main goal of the task force will be to ensure swift action against organized retail theft rings and repeat offenders.
  • Since Attorney General Uthmeier's appointment in February 2025, organized retail theft convictions under the AG's Office of Statewide Prosecution have tallied 130+ years in prison and $5.3 million restitution to date.
• Keeping Accountability for Ties to Foreign Adversaries-Additionally, the Attorney General has taken legal action against technology companies with strong ties to the Chinese Communist Party. In June, he issued subpoenas to Contec, Epsimed, and Lorex for violating Florida's Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act by selling medical devices without approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and with serious security concerns. Earlier in December, he also issued a subpoena to TP-Link Systems, Inc. as part of an ongoing consumer protection investigation into the company's cybersecurity practices, supply-chain infrastructure, and handling of U.S. consumer data. TP-Link, headquartered in California, sells Wi-Fi routers that allow access to personal home and business networks.

Keeping Florida Free

• Calling out Corporate America and Big Tech-Soon after taking office, Attorney General Uthmeier, alongside America First Legal, filed a class action lawsuit against Target Corporation, alleging the company knowingly misled and defrauded investors by concealing the financial risks of its radical LQBTQ activism, costing $25 billion in shareholder value over the course of six months.
  • Most recently, Attorney General Uthmeier filed a lawsuit against Starbucks for implementing and enforcing illegal race-based quotas for hiring and advancement, a direct violation of Florida's Civil Rights Act.
  • The Attorney General announced a lawsuit against Snap, Inc., the operator of the popular Snapchat social media company, for its defiance of Florida's HB 3. While Snap continues to market Snapchat as safe for users as young as 13 years-old, it remains an easily accessible platform for gaining access to pornography, illicit substances, and human trafficking.
  • Similarly, Attorney General Uthmeier launched a civil lawsuit against Roblox, a popular online gaming platform for children, alleging it deceived parents about the safety of its platform while failing to protect children from accessing graphic adult content and being contacted and groomed by predators. The Attorney General also issued criminal subpoenas to Roblox following evidence revealing its knowledge of sexual predators utilizing the platform to access, communicate with, and groom minors.
  • Spearheaded by the Office of Parental Rights, Attorney General Uthmeier announced a civil enforcement action against Roku, Inc. and its Florida subsidiary for violations of the Florida Digital Bill of Rights and the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act. With Roku serving as the U.S. market leader in streaming video distribution and reaching about 145 million people, the complaint alleges that it collected, sold, and enabled reidentification of sensitive personal data-including viewing habits, voice recordings, and other information from children-without authorization or meaningful notice to Florida families. The Attorney General is seeking civil penalties, injunctive relief, and measures ensuring that Roku provides transparent disclosures, implements lawful parental-control mechanisms, and ceases unauthorized sale or processing of children's data.
  • The Attorney General filed the nation's first lawsuit against proxy advisor firms Institutional Shareholder Services and Glass Lewis for using their influence to push ideological agendas at the expense of Florida investors and businesses.
  • Attorney General Uthmeier also demanded accountability from tech giant Microsoft by sending them a letter urging them to fix their discriminatory practices against faith-based organizations. The letter explains that Microsoft denying Christian organizations equal access to the company's nonprofit discount program. Upon receipt of the letter, Microsoft reversed course, issued an apology, and ensured there will be no further discriminatory practices.
  • The Attorney General took action against the American Bar Association for violating the first amendment by threatening to revoke St. Thomas University Law School's accreditation simply for being a Catholic school. Shortly after the Attorney General's letter, the ABA's Standards Committee announced changes to its discrimination against religiously affiliated schools.
• Combating Violent Extremism-The Attorney General launched the Combat Violent Extremism Portal, a new tool for citizens to help identify and combat politically-motivated violence. The secure online portal allows the public to submit screenshots, videos, and other evidence of threats of violent extremism directly to Attorney General's Office of Statewide Prosecution. Submissions may be anonymous. Prosecutors are reviewing each report and, where appropriate, prosecuting those responsible for the threats.

Looking Ahead to 2026

The Attorney General continues to push for systemic changes that will keep Florida safe, strong, and free. Attorney General Uthmeier is proposing four new pieces of legislation and is also calling on the legislature to codify his emergency rules.

• Missy's Law-Attorney General Uthmeier proposed this legislation to prevent judges from abusing their discretion. The law requires mandatory revocation of bond for anyone convicted of a dangerous crime and removes judicial discretion to prevent woke judges from granting post-conviction bond to dangerous criminals.
• Florida's Insanity Defense & Mental Health Accountability Act-This legislative proposal strengthens public safety by ensuring that mental health claims cannot be abused to escape criminal responsibility. The bill replaces the "insanity" defense with a narrower standard, requires objective testing for malingering, and allows mental health treatment without reducing punishment. Under this act, defendants can receive appropriate treatment and serve the sentences their crimes warrant.
• Codify Emergency Rules-Attorney General Uthmeier issued an emergency rule classifying the isolated and/or concentrated 7-hydroxymitragynine (7-OH) as a Schedule I controlled substance. The Attorney General also filed to reclassify xylazine from a Schedule I to a Schedule I controlled substance with an exemption for veterinary use. The clarification ensures Florida's agriculture and veterinary communities can access this critical medication for animal care.
• Special Retirement Class for Prosecutors-This legislative proposal adds Florida's prosecutors to the Florida Retirement System (FRS) Special Risk Class. The Special Risk Class is designated for public safety personnel whose jobs involve exceptional physical demands and/or exposure to hazards.
  • Florida's statewide prosecutors and assistant state attorneys dedicate their careers to serving the public by enforcing the law and ensuring justice for victims. Prosecutors go toe-to-toe with dangerous criminals in the courtroom, and often receive death threats from defendants, convicts, and their associates. Some threats are carried over to their home addresses, posing an ongoing safety risk for their families and neighbors.
• Protecting Kids from Predators Pursuing Parenthood Act-This legislative proposal expands protection measures already in place and stops predators from obtaining kids. There are instances of registered sexual offenders becoming parents via adoption or surrogacy and subsequently subjecting their children to sexual abuse. The goal of this bill is to ensure that no one who is listed on a sexual offender registry will ever be eligible to become a parent through non-biological circumstances. The criterion to have surrogacy and/or adoption ability revoked will include individuals who have been convicted of abusing animals as well.

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