Governor DeSantis is suspending Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell after claims her administration showed "both neglect of duty and incompetence," he announced in a press conference on Wednesday.
DeSantis and other officials, such as Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, cited a recent incident regarding two police officers who were shot in Downtown Orlando on Friday as an example of Worrell's administration being "clearly and fundamentally derelict."
Officials at the press conference claimed Worrell's alleged behavior included failure to follow minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking, as well as "allowing juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges or incarceration altogether."
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Worrell served the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court.
"In this instance, Ms. Worrell failed to do the job for which she was elected," Moody said.
Worrell held her own press conference later on Wednesday to address the news, saying she was "outraged." She added that she plans to fight the suspension in court.
"I am your duly elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that," she said. "I did exactly what I said I would do, and that is what you want from an elected official."
Worrell also insinuated that DeSantis is taking elected officials out of office "solely for political purposes." She stated there is typically a higher standard for removing officials from their positions, including neglecting their duties by not showing up for work, being criminally prosecuted or having an illness that prevents them from doing their jobs.
"Under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and by the whim of the governor," Worrell said. "Justice does not prevail in the State of Florida at this time."
Andrew Bain, a judge already serving Orlando, will replace Worrell.
"We are here to prosecute crimes and to hold people accountable," Bain said. "My plan is to bring back that simple understanding. It does not accomplish anything to prosecute a case with no intent to stop crimes."
Bain added that he plans for his office to be good partners with law enforcement.
Other officials disagree with DeSantis' move, including Orange County 47th District Rep. Anna Eskamani, who went so far as to say she was "disgusted."
I was just this by an attorney — trying to confirm but DeSantis continues to strip away our freedoms and local democracy. I am disgusted. https://t.co/6PAXPlrvHS pic.twitter.com/WYWDmlmdYb
— Rep. Anna V. Eskamani 🔨 (@AnnaForFlorida) August 9, 2023
Worrell's suspension comes almost a year ago to the day after DeSantis suspended Tampa State Attorney Andrew Warren on Aug. 4, 2022.
Warren was suspended when DeSantis' staff compiled records that he said showed Warren had "put himself publicly above the law." DeSantis said he had previously asked his staff to check in with communities across Florida to learn more about whether state attorneys were picking and choosing what crimes to prosecute.
Worrell and Warren, both Democrats, signed a statement last year with other prosecutors to openly oppose criminal charges against women seeking abortions and abortion providers.
“Another illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career," Warren said in a statement following the announcement. "He wants to be a bully, but he’s actually a coward who has repeatedly violated the rule of law and the will of the voters to cover up his own weakness.”
Read the full executive order of Worrell's suspension below.
