<\/p>\n
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier, right, with U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida Jason A. Reding Quinones, left. Uthmeier spoke during a press conference on Feb. 19, 2026, in Miami.<\/p>\n
Carl Juste<\/p>\n
cjuste@miamiherald.com<\/p>\n
I was an adjunct professor at Palm Beach Atlantic University, a private Christian university in West Palm Beach. Like Attorney General James Uthmeier, I taught two classes \u2014 but I wasn\u2019t paid six figures.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s been a lot of attention on Uthmeier\u2019s recently reported $100,000 salary<\/a> to teach two courses at the University of Florida\u2019s law school as an adjunct professor. And while his salary is excessive \u2014 it\u2019s roughly eight times the average amount of an adjunct\u2019s pay nationally \u2014 the more interesting part to me is why he said he needs the second job.<\/p>\n He said he needed the money. He took a pay cut of between $60,000 and $70,000 when he left his job as Gov. Ron DeSantis chief of staff to accept an appointment from the governor to become the state\u2019s attorney general.<\/p>\n As attorney general, Uthmeier was making a mere $140,000 annually. According to him, that wasn\u2019t enough.<\/p>\n On a podcast called Between the Lines with Dara Kam, Uthmeier explained<\/a> why he needed a second job, \u201cWhen you have a growing family and three kids, you got to look for other ways to keep the lights on and keep food on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n Is one of the top Republican leaders in the state actually talking about affordability? That\u2019s what it sounds like \u2014 except President Donald Trump has dismissed<\/a> those concerns: \u201cThe word affordability is a Democrat scam.\u201d If that\u2019s true, then someone should tell Uthmeier.<\/p>\n Uthmeier\u2019s version of an affordability problem isn\u2019t most people\u2019s, of course: Even without the UF side gig, he was in a prestigious job with a six-figure salary. Most people aren\u2019t going to offer him much sympathy.<\/p>\n But his comments bring up an important topic. The affordability problem is real, especially in Miami and South Florida. Housing costs continue to leave many Floridians cost-burdened. According to the MIT Living Wage Calculator<\/a>, a household with two working adults and three children in Miami-Dade County must earn $115,498 after taxes to afford basic needs.<\/p>\n My frustration isn\u2019t about Uthmeier teaching law students. Teaching is a noble calling. The problem is the disconnect. Average Floridians who need extra income don\u2019t have access to a $100,000 part-time job. They work weekends, drive for Uber or pick up other gig-economy work which pay a fraction of that amount. They cut back on spending. They delay homeownership. They consider moving out of state.<\/p>\n If a statewide elected official earning a six-figure salary feels squeezed enough to seek out a second job, then affordability is not a partisan talking point. It\u2019s a governing challenge.<\/p>\n