Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier to Hold Orlando News Conference With Regional Law Enforcement Leaders Thursday Morning
Event set at Florida Highway Patrol Troop D headquarters
Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier is scheduled to hold a news conference in Orlando on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, alongside regional and state law enforcement leaders. The briefing is set for about 10 a.m. at Florida Highway Patrol Troop D headquarters, a hub responsible for patrol operations across six Central Florida counties along the Interstate 4 corridor: Orange, Osceola, Lake, Seminole, Brevard and Volusia.
Planned participants include Florida Highway Patrol Col. Gary Howze, Orlando Police Chief Eric Smith and Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Jean Almonacy. As of Thursday morning, the agenda and topic of the gathering had not been publicly detailed.
Who is expected to appear
James Uthmeier, Florida attorney general, appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis and sworn in on Feb. 17, 2025.
Col. Gary Howze, a senior Florida Highway Patrol leader expected to appear representing statewide traffic-safety and criminal-interdiction efforts.
Eric Smith, Orlando police chief since November 2022, leading the city’s largest public-safety agency.
Jean Almonacy, an assistant statewide prosecutor expected to appear representing state-level prosecutorial resources.
Context: Orlando has been a recurring venue for state public-safety announcements
Central Florida has repeatedly been used for high-profile state law-enforcement briefings over the past year, including announcements related to crime trends, multi-agency operations and prosecutorial coordination. Orlando’s location within the I-4 corridor places it at the intersection of major transportation routes and population centers, making it a frequent staging point for regional enforcement messaging and interagency coordination.
In earlier Orlando appearances, state officials have discussed the allocation of prosecutorial support and the handling of complex case volumes, as well as multi-agency enforcement efforts focused on drugs and other public-safety priorities. Thursday’s news conference returns to a familiar setting for statewide messaging: Florida Highway Patrol facilities have also hosted other major public-safety events attended by top state officials.
Officials scheduled to attend Thursday’s briefing have not released advance details about the subject matter.
What to watch next
With no agenda released in advance, key questions include whether the news conference will focus on an active investigation, a new enforcement initiative, the results of a recent operation, or an interagency policy change affecting arrests, charging decisions or prosecution strategy in the Orlando area. Any announced initiatives could involve joint efforts between state troopers, municipal police and statewide prosecutors, reflecting the multi-jurisdictional nature of many Central Florida cases.
orlando.news will report updates after the briefing concludes and any official materials are released.