Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces Arrest of Winter Springs Man for 38 Counts for Petition Fraud on Behalf of Amendment 3, Smart and Safe Florida

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.— Attorney General James Uthmeier announced that the Florida Department of Law Enforcement arrested Alexander Dean Francis, 33, of Winter Springs. Francis was arrested in Flagler County on August 28, 2025, on 38 counts of Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information.

“Targeting seniors and exploiting their identities to commit voter fraud and change our state’s constitution is abhorrent and an affront to our republican form of government,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “My office will continue to hold petition fraudsters accountable and protect the sanctity of the Florida Constitution.”

According to the investigation, Francis, a registered paid petition circulator to gather signatures for the Constitutional Amendment backed by Smart and Safe Florida, submitted hundreds of fraudulent petitions to Supervisor of Elections offices across Florida, including many in Flagler County. At least 35 victims, many over the age of 60, reported that their personal information was stolen and used without their knowledge or consent. In total, Francis is charged with one count of Criminal Use of Personal Identification Information involving more than 30 victims, a first-degree felony, and 37 counts of using the personal identification of a victim over 60 years of age, each a second-degree felony.

This case is being prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office of Statewide Prosecution. Francis is facing thirty years with a ten-year mandatory minimum for the first-degree felony charge, and a combined 585 years for all charges. He will be booked at the Seminole County Jail, and his bond is set at $210,000.

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