Byron Donalds addresses James Uthmeier ‘needing a second job’

The front-runner in the race for Florida Governor is speaking out about the current Attorney General moonlighting as a university instructor, and suggesting it points to a need to look at compensation levels.

U.S. Rep. Byron Donalds, a Naples Republican, told supporters Friday his thoughts on AG James Uthmeier teaching classes at the University of Florida Levin School of Law, which is reportedly paying him $100,000 for two hours of classroom time per week, far above the $5,000 average adjunct salary.

“I think if anything, it kind of does highlight something probably about what’s happening with the AG of the third largest state in America kind of needing a second job. So I think that’s probably something the Legislature and the Governor are trying to figure out, we’ll see where they go,” Donalds said Friday at a campaign event in Tampa.

Uthmeier, who makes just shy of $140,000 a year in his appointed position, said during an interview this week that he’s “part-time faculty” teaching two classes per year, mentoring students also and handling other duties, and that he started teaching when he was experiencing burnout from the Governor’s Office Chief of Staff gig.

“I’ve been a public servant since I was a young lawyer. And when you have a growing family and three kids, you’ve got to look for other ways to keep the lights on and keep food on the table,” Uthmeier said, noting that he makes less than first-year lawyers at his old firm and has “turned down multimillion-dollar offers” because of his desire to work for the “Free State of Florida.”

Uthmeier suggests that if anything, he isn’t paid enough compared to what others in his position made. He said his decision to accept the appointment to be Attorney General after Ashley Moody was appointed to the U.S. Senate caused him a major financial hit.

“What I’d say is when you look at law professor salaries across the country, 100 grand is not that crazy. And also, the pay cut from Governor’s Chief of Staff to the AG was a significant drop off based on statute, you know, a $60 (thousand), $70,000 cut. And, you know, other Cabinet members now and historically, they have other business and independent wealth and they’re developers or, you know, whatever else they are,” he said.

While it’s unclear why Uthmeier conflates money made in private enterprise before entering public service with taking on a second taxpayer-funded role, it’s obvious he believes the price UF is paying is worth it.

The issue dogged him during a Thursday press conference in Miami, leading him to cut his Q&A short as questions about travel and compensation were posed.

“It’s the left-wing fake news that seems to be the only people concerned with me working at night as a teacher,” he said. “Like a lot of Americans at home. I work day and night. I work 80 plus hours for the state, fighting crime.”

He said he drove to and from Gainesville for the gig.