TAMPA, Fla. (WFTS) — Although only 19.49% of voters turned out to vote in the primary election, Julia Holmes says she couldn't miss the opportunity.
"I actually am an out-of-state college student, so I'm here for a break and wanted to show my support," she said.
Holmes and other voters got the chance to weigh in on issues important to them.
"This is a great city, but I think crime and just everything regarding you know, politics is really important. I want to make sure that younger kids get the same opportunities that I did, and feel safe and secure as I did," she said.
One election focused exactly on crime and safety continues to garner attention: Hillsborough's State Attorney election.
Andrew Warren was removed from his position as state attorney by Governor Ron Desantis in 2022.
"It's unfortunate that the Governor injected hyper-partisanship into a State Attorney's Office in a criminal justice system where partisanship hadn't existed. I worked across the lines with the Republicans to make our community safer for six years," Warren said.
Elizabeth Martinez Strauss challenged Warren for the Democratic nomination.
"I also had a couple of trials. I didn't like what the prosecutor's office was doing, so I called [Warren], and I said, 'Look, I heard nobody's running. Are you going to run?' And he says, 'No, I'm not running. I've told everybody to run. Nobody wants to run.' So I said, 'Okay, I'm going to run," she said.
Ultimately, the voters decided they wanted to see Warren get another shot. But Martinez-Strauss says this isn't it for her.
"I called my old boss in New Orleans, and he gave me one piece of advice, and it was never, say never. So I won't say that. I won't, you know, say I'll never run for office again. But it has been a learning experience," she said.
In November, Warren will challenge Suzy Lopez; the current State Attorney appointed to the position by the Governor.
In a statement, Lopez said:
There’s going to be a very clear choice for voters in November. We can continue to strengthen our bonds with law enforcement, lower our crime rate, and stand up for victims, or we can go backwards to a time when the law was selectively enforced and politicians preferred experimental policies over public safety. I am supremely confident the voters of Hillsborough County want a State Attorney who will enforce the rule of law and for that, our campaign is the clear, and only, choice.
Following Warren's win, he detailed what his next steps are.
"I'm excited to move on to the general election to get back to do the job that I was elected to do. I mean, every day that we have an illegally appointed State Attorney in office, crime is going up. Our system is moving backwards, and we're not having the values of this community represented," he said.
Investigative Reporter Katie LaGrone obtained the most recent batch of Florida teacher exit interviews which detail, in their own words, why teachers left the classroom this summer.
