There is a new top prosecutor in Florida.
Attorney General James Uthmeier swore in Brad McVay as statewide prosecutor on Monday. It leads investigations that span several county and court circuit boundaries and is one of the most important roles in the Florida Department of Legal Affairs.
McVay has held senior roles at the Department of State for the previous seven years, including more than four years as general counsel, where he was in charge of defending Florida’s election rules against numerous challenges brought by voting rights organizations.
Additionally, McVay served as deputy secretary, overseeing the state’s electoral crimes office, which was established at Governor Ron DeSantis’ insistence.
Earlier in his career, McVay, who graduated from Florida State University College of Law, worked for five years as an assistant state prosecutor.
During the swearing-in ceremony, Uthmeier stated that McVay was among the many competent candidates for the position, but he ultimately concluded that he would be the most suitable candidate to combat drug cartels, combat election fraud, and aid in child protection.
According to Uthmeier, he is the ideal candidate for the position. He s a good man. He is a man of integrity.
Since 2011, Nick Cox has served as the statewide prosecutor, initially nominated by then-Attorney General Pam Bondi. Earlier last year, he resigned to accept a high-level position in Hillsborough County with State Attorney Suzy Cox.
In brief remarks following his swearing-in, McVay promised that we will strive to be fast, fearless, relentless, and smart.
DeSantis chose then-Attorney General Ashley Moody to replace the Senate seat left empty by Marco Rubio, who is currently the U.S. secretary of state, and then named Uthmeier, his former chief of staff, as attorney general.
