James Uthmeier Proposes Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act

Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier proposed the Florida Anti-Spam Communications Act on September 17, 2026, during an announcement in Pembroke Pines. The legislation targets the rise of fraudulent calls and texts, specifically those utilizing undisclosed artificial intelligence voices, phone spoofing, and the delivery of fake warrants to target residents and elderly populations.

Under the proposal, impersonating officials or using AI to obtain money would be reclassified as communications fraud. High-volume or high-loss cases would be elevated to felonies with mandatory prison sentences. The act also targets scam infrastructure by making the possession or import of phone and SIM farms a felony. To increase corporate accountability, the bill requires communications providers to authenticate caller IDs and honor STOP requests within days.

The legislation would grant the Florida Department of Legal Affairs independent authority to investigate spam campaigns and seek civil penalties without needing referrals from other agencies. To support these enforcement efforts, the state plans to launch a public education campaign to help seniors identify AI-generated impersonations and fake warrants. Taylor Chatting, a prosecutor with the Cyber Fraud Enforcement Unit, warned that scammers are increasingly using AI to impersonate law enforcement and financial professionals.