<\/p>\n
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, right, speaks alongside federal and state law enforcement officials during a press conference at the FDLE Miami Regional Operations Center on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Carl Juste<\/p>\n
cjuste@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier cut off questioning during a corruption-focused Miami press conference Thursday after reporters asked him about his substantial paycheck for just two hours of lecturing per week and an advisory role at the University of Florida law school.<\/p>\n
Speaking from a podium emblazoned with a placard that read \u201cCombating Public Corruption,\u201d Uthmeier announced plans for a sweeping statewide audit of public spending in search of \u201cbribes, kickbacks, conflicts of interest, evidence of money being spent on special interests, personal interests, personal gain.\u201d<\/p>\n
In response to questions from reporters afterward about his $100,000-a-year teaching stipend \u2014 which combined with his attorney general salary pushes his total state-funded compensation to $240,000 annually \u2014 the attorney general defended the importance of his work with the school.<\/p>\n
Uthmeier said he commutes by car to UF\u2019s main campus in Gainesville, 150 miles south of his Tallahassee residence. The university\u2019s law school does not compensate Uthmeier for his travel expenses, the interim dean previously told the Herald\/Times, but it does pay an hourly rate of $50 to $80 for extra security during the attorney general\u2019s campus visits.<\/p>\n
It remains unclear whether the attorney general\u2019s office \u2014 funded by taxpayers \u2014 pays for Uthmeier\u2019s UF commute.<\/p>\n
U.S. Attorney of Southern District of Florida Jason A. Reding Quinones, left, stands by Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, center, as speaks alongside other state law enforcement officials during a press conference announcing a new unit focused on investigating public corruption and government spending on Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026, in Miami. Carl Juste cjuste@miamiherald.com <\/p>\n
When a reporter asked Thursday whether his drive was state-funded or personally funded, Uthmeier said, \u201cSeems like this is what the left news media wants to talk about. I\u2019m focused on fighting crime and public corruption,\u201d and left the room.<\/p>\n
According to Uthmeier\u2019s remarks during the less than 15-minute-long press conference, the newly launched state corruption probe will fall under a \u201cPublic Integrity Unit\u201d in his office and will conduct a review of \u201call legislative appropriations over the last couple of years, as well as expenditures, grants, procurements at the local level\u201d in search of criminal activity. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason Reding Qui\u00f1ones was also in the room touting the new effort.<\/p>\n
In response to an emailed question from the Herald\/Times about how the new anti-corruption effort will be funded, Uthmeier\u2019s deputy chief of staff said, \u201cYou had plenty of opportunity to ask the AG questions, but you decided you wanted to ask about a completely different topic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Thursday marks the first time Uthmeier has publicly addressed his employment at Florida\u2019s flagship law school after a Herald\/Times investigation found he earns a $100,000 teaching stipend for relatively light duties<\/a>. He is the highest-paid adjunct instructor at UF\u2019s Levin College of Law in at least a quarter century, the Herald\/Times reported, and his compensation amounts to roughly eight times more than the median law school adjunct\u2019s salary.<\/p>\n The attorney general\u2019s office did not respond to the Herald\/Times questions about Uthmeier\u2019s campus role earlier in the week.<\/p>\n Uthmeier had previously defended his UF paycheck in a two-minute clip of a \u201cBetween the Lines<\/a>\u201d podcast interview released earlier on Thursday, citing a need to make up for the roughly $60,000 pay cut he took when he became the state\u2019s top legal official last spring. Uthmeier earned about $200,000 annually as chief of staff to Gov. Ron DeSantis, until the governor tapped him as attorney general last year.<\/p>\n Uthmeier, 38, lives in Tallahassee with his wife and three children and reported a net worth of $1.1 million<\/a> in 2024. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator<\/a>, the hourly living wage for a five-person household is $53.75, or about $112,000 annually.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you have a growing family and three kids, you\u2019ve got to look for other ways to keep the lights on and keep food on the table,\u201d the attorney general said on the podcast. He also noted that he earns less than first-year lawyers at his old firm, Gray Robinson, and has rejected \u201cmultimillion-dollar offers\u201d because of a desire to serve the \u201cfree state of Florida.\u201d<\/p>\n Uthmeier also beat back charges from Florida Democrats and some Republicans that he\u2019s merely a \u201cguest lecturer,\u201d pointing to his mentoring of students and helping them find career opportunities. He also advises on the law school\u2019s new Program in Law and Government.<\/p>\n This story was originally published February 19, 2026 at 1:05 PM.<\/p>\n