James Uthmeier
PENSACOLA – Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier has joined state Commissioner of Education Manny Diaz Jr. to sign a Memorandum of Agreement between the Attorney General’s Office of Parental Rights and the Florida Department of Education.
Uthmeier’s office says the agreement, signed May 23, brings the agencies together to protect students in Florida's education system from unlawful abuses by school systems, protect parents’ rights to direct how their children are educated and maintain close involvement in such processes.
“With this collaboration between the Office of Parental Rights and the Florida Department of Education, we are putting the power in parents’ hands,” Uthmeier said. “The rights of parents are non-negotiable in Florida, and they deserve an education system that works for them without an inappropriate, politically driven agenda.
“It was an honor to sign this important agreement with Commissioner Diaz.”
Diaz agreed.
“Florida is the parental rights state, and I am proud to work with Attorney General Uthmeier to enhance the power of Florida parents,” he said. “I am proud to sign this Memorandum of Understanding with the Attorney General’s office today to further bolster our efforts to support the rights of parents and to protect Florida’s children.”
Uthmeier also announced an expansion of the Parental Rights reporting portal, enabling parents to report businesses — such as vape shops and gas stations — targeting minors with flavored vapes or youth-focused advertising, particularly near schools.
Parents can upload photos, flag suspicious products or ads, and provide business addresses directly to the Attorney General’s office for investigation, enabling faster review and enforcement.
The announcement came during a regional vaping enforcement symposium hosted by the Attorney General’s Office at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement in Pensacola. It was the third in a statewide series — following events in Jacksonville and Tallahassee — designed to train law enforcement on enforcing new legislation aimed at vaping devices that appeal to children.
Officers are being trained to identify illegal products, seize and report them, and partner with the Attorney General’s office for civil forfeiture and destruction of seized items.
The expanded enforcement effort is funded in part by the state’s $79 million settlement with JUUL Labs following litigation over the company’s marketing tactics directed at minors. As part of the settlement, JUUL is prohibited from targeting youth in Florida and must comply with strict advertising restrictions. Of the settlement funds, $30 million has been allocated to the Vape Free Florida Fund, supporting ongoing enforcement and education initiatives statewide.
The Office of Parental Rights is designed to bolster the many efforts Florida has taken to protect children over the past several years, including the Parents’ Bill of Rights and the Parental Rights in Education Act.
