Nocatee, Florida — State and federal law enforcement agencies have initiated criminal proceedings against 20 individuals across nine counties following a coordinated review of voter rolls and ballot records. Attorney General James Uthmeier and Governor Ron DeSantis announced the felony filings this week, outlining charges resulting from collaborative investigations conducted by the Office of Statewide Prosecution, state law enforcement investigators at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the Department of State, and federal immigration authorities.
The enforcement actions focus on individuals accused of casting unauthorized ballots in recent statewide voting, with offenses documented during November 2024 balloting. Prosecutors filed charges against 16 foreign nationals accused of submitting voter registration forms that falsely attested to American citizenship, alongside four individuals accused of voting while serving active felony probation terms that legally disqualified them from casting ballots.
"Florida will not allow anyone to steal the vote of Americans at the ballot box. These defendants swore they were qualified electors, cast ballots in our elections, and later confirmed they were never eligible to vote." — Attorney General James Uthmeier
The inquiries originated from referrals submitted by county Supervisors of Elections and the Department of State's Office of Election Crimes, with investigators cross-referencing poll books, registration cards, and federal databases maintained by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. State officials noted that Florida has recorded more than 100 election-related prosecutions since the establishment of the specialized election crimes office under Senate Bill 524.
