Predator takedown: Florida AG James Uthmeier announces 1,400 arrests of child exploitation on social media

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Another alleged online child predator is behind bars following an investigation based on a tip to law enforcement. 

What we know:

Devon Huart, 20, of Leesburg was arrested on 11 counts of possession of child pornography, following an investigation that began on Jan. 23, after a National Center for Missing and Exploited Children cyber tip that Huart was sharing child sexual abuse materials, known as CSAM. 

An investigation determined that Huart was using TikTok to send and solicit CSAM. Uthemeier said TikTok is "riddled with predators and pornography." 

Huart also spoke with children on Discord, the Attorney General said. 

"Many of these cases do begin on online platforms," Assistant Statewide Prosecutor Taylor Chatting from the Attorney General's office said. "Applications like Discord, Roblox, Instagram, TikTok and many others are being used by child predators to contact and otherwise exploit these children." 

In addition to Huart's charges, Michael Ambrosio, 52, of New Port Richey was sentenced to 25 years in the Florida Department of Corrections after making an open plea on 16 charges, including: 15 counts of possession of child pornography and one count of possession of child pornography with intent to promote.

Attorney General James Uthmeier said Ambrosio had "some of the most horrific images and videos on his devices that our investigators have ever seen." 

These crimes are not victimless – people are getting hurt, Uthmeier said. 

"The videos from Pasco County involved the sexual abuse of toddlers," he said. "The most heinous of acts. Those victims who have suffered the most brutal of offenses – they suffer again and again, every time these videos are watched, shared (or) sold." 

Uthmeier also said that for people who have these "addictions to that type of disgusting content," it's a matter of time before that addiction grows – "before they actually go and physically abuse a little kid," he said. 

Online child predator takedown

This initiative is part of the Attorney General's child predator takedowns, which he said have grown threefold over the past few years – amounting to 1,400 child predator arrests since Uthmeier took office in February 2025. 

"Time and again, our office is prosecuting child predators who use social media platforms to share disgusting content and groom children," said Attorney General James Uthmeier. "Protecting kids is my number one priority, and today’s takedown of two more predators makes a record 1400 in a year. They’ll face long sentences behind bars or the death penalty where eligible."

Under House Bill 3 – which Governor Ron DeSantis signed into law on March 25, 2024 – children younger than 14 years old are prohibited from having their own social media accounts. Children 14 and 15 years old can have accounts with parental consent, the bill states. 

"Social media harms children in a variety of ways," said Governor Ron DeSantis. "HB 3 gives parents a greater ability to protect their children. Thank you to Speaker Renner for delivering this landmark legislation."

"Time and again, our office is prosecuting child predators who use social media platforms to share disgusting content and groom children," Attorney General James Uthmeier said in a released statement. "Protecting kids is my number one priority, and today’s takedown of two more predators makes a record 1400 in a year. They’ll face long sentences behind bars or the death penalty where eligible."

TikTok Youth Policy, 13+

According to TikTok's youth policy, account holders must be at least 13 years old to create an account, but they said the minimum age may differ based on local laws. The app also has Community Guidelines and a Youth Safety and Well-Being Section to keep young people safe, the app's website said. 

"If we become aware an account holder has committed a sexual offense against a young person, we will ban the account, as well as any other accounts belonging to that person," TikTok states on its website. "We report incidents of youth sexual abuse and exploitation to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). We also report to relevant law enforcement authorities when there is a specific, credible, and imminent threat to human life or serious physical injury."

Despite these built-in safety precautions, Uthmeier maintains that the app is "dangerous." 

Uthmeier: ‘Dangers of social media’ 

"I see social media as a net-negative," Uthmeier said. "… We've seen heightened evidence of self-harm, bulimia, in the worst of cases, suicides. I think it is a dangerous environment. It puts you in an echo chamber where everyone is focused on your appearances. There's filters and lenses … it's all horrific." 

What you can do:

Chatting encouraged parents to be aware of their children's online activity, to know who their kids are communicating with online and to have open conversations with their children about Internet safety. 

What's next:

Uthmeier said he's giving companies another 30 days to comply with not allowing kids younger than 14 years old to have an account. He'll give 60 days to ensure parental consent is in place. When that time is up, we'll begin filing, he said.