![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/State-Attorney-Monique-Worrell.jpg?resize=404%2C404&ssl=1\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nGov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, accusing the prosecutor of \u201cneglecting her duty\u201d and being lax on criminal enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
DeSantis\u2019 suspension of Worrell, elected in 2020 as state attorney for Florida\u2019s 9th Judicial Circuit in Orange and Osceola counties, marks the second time in a year the Republican governor has acted to strip an elected Democratic prosecutor from office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to reporters shortly after DeSantis announced her suspension Wednesday, Worrell decried what she called the \u201closs of democracy\u201d through DeSantis\u2019 action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI am your duly elected state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that,\u201d Worrell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worrell’s suspension came after she drew criticism from police union leaders who said her office should have done more to keep behind bars a man accused of shooting two Orlando police officers on Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe had a duty to act to protect the public from this dereliction of duty,\u201d DeSantis said during a press conference Wednesday morning announcing the suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Worrell said that she has spoken with her legal team and plans to challenge her suspension. She defended her record as state attorney and said that two high-ranking employees in her office also were fired as part of the governor\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI was elected by the people of the 9th Judicial Circuit to lead this circuit. And yes, to do things unconventionally, to do things differently. But I didn’t hide. \u2026 I did exactly what I said I would do, and that is what you want from an elected official,\u201d Worrell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Florida Constitution gives the governor the authority to suspend elected officials. The ultimate decision about removal from office rests with the Florida Senate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In an executive order issued Wednesday, DeSantis maintained that Worrell\u2019s policies prevent or discourage assistant state attorneys from seeking mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worrell\u2019s practices and policies constitute \u201cabuse of prosecutorial discretion\u201d and reflect \u201ca systemic failure to enforce incarcerative penalties called for by Florida law,\u201d the order said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis\u2019 order pointed to Florida Department of Corrections\u2019 data, which he said showed that prison admission rates for Worrell’s region between Jan. 1, 2022 through March 31, 2023, \u201care below \u2014 often far below \u2014 the statewide average across all categories of criminal offenses, except three.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis named Andrew Bain, who recently served as an Orange County judge, as acting state attorney. DeSantis in 2020 tapped Bain \u2014 a member of the conservative Federalist Society legal group \u2014 to serve on the county court.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will make this office accountable to the community we serve, and to ensure criminals who poison society, cause mayhem and murder are held accountable under the law,\u201d Bain, who joined DeSantis at Wednesday\u2019s press conference in the Capitol, told reporters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Florida Democrats quickly blasted DeSantis\u2019 action and accused the governor of using the suspension to try to pump up his presidential campaign. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe authoritarian tactic of removing duly-elected officials without legal cause is a direct affront to voters and Gov. DeSantis\u2019 removal of the Orlando state attorney is a brazen and petulant act of a flailing presidential candidate whose disregard for democracy and the rule of law is deeply troubling,\u201d U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a Democrat from South Florida, said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Rep. Anna Eskamani, D-Orlando, also slammed what she called a \u201cpolitically motivated action\u201d by DeSantis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis is absolutely disgusting \u2014 State Attorney Monique Worrell is a duly elected official and the only Black woman serving as state attorney in Florida right now. Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy,\u201d Eskamani said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried also attacked DeSantis’ action, calling the suspension “a political hit job” that “threatens our democracy and undermines the will of the people.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis\u2019 move Wednesday came just over a year after DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warren filed a federal lawsuit in September challenging his removal from office, and U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle in January ruled that the suspension violated the Florida Constitution and the U.S. Constitution. Hinkle, however, said he lacked the authority to reinstate the prosecutor. The Atlanta-based 11th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals heard arguments in Warren\u2019s appeal but has not issued a ruling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warren in February also asked the Florida Supreme Court to reinstate him, arguing that the governor \u201cexceeded his powers\u201d in the suspension. The court in June rejected Warren\u2019s attempt to get his job back, ruling that the twice-elected Democrat waited too long to bring the case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Warren on Wednesday also rebuked DeSantis for suspending Worrell.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAnother illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career,\u201d Warren said in a statement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Republicans and law enforcement officials praised the governor\u2019s actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worrell\u2019s suspension \u201cis absolutely imperative for the protection of our citizens,\u201d said Attorney General Ashley Moody, who also flanked DeSantis at Wednesday\u2019s event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf she were allowed to continue in this office, her failure would continue to cause needless pain, suffering, and death,\u201d Moody added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Moody said Worrell has dismissed charges or failed to file cases against defendants at a higher rate than any other prosecutor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Central Florida law enforcement officials, including Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, also backed the suspension.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DeSantis on Wednesday accused Worrell\u2019s office of mishandling the arrest and detention of Daton Viel, who allegedly shot two police officers on Friday before being killed Saturday morning by an Orlando SWAT team. Viel was arrested in March and charged with sexual battery on a minor, but was released after posting a $125,000 bail bond in April.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The Fraternal Order of Police of Orlando called Worrell \u201csoft on crime\u201d in a social media post Saturday. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Worrell said the police union assisted the governor\u2019s office in her removal because, when she ran for office in 2020, she pledged to hold law-enforcement officers accountable for their actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cOn that I delivered and that is the reason that law enforcement galvanized behind the governor’s undemocratic attack,\u201d Worrell said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Worrell, standing outside the Orlando County Courthouse, said she will continue running for reelection in 2024.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI will not be quiet. I will not sit down. This office is just a building. I have been a public servant for my entire career. And I will continue to serve our community. I will continue to stand for democracy. I will continue to protect the rights of the disenfranchised,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" By Ryan Dailey and Jim Turner – The News Service of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, accusing the prosecutor of \u201cneglecting her duty\u201d… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":34420,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_titles_title":"","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","_seopress_robots_follow":"","_seopress_robots_imageindex":"","_seopress_robots_snippet":"","_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"0","_seopress_robots_breadcrumbs":"","_seopress_robots_freeze_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_custom_modified_date":"","_seopress_robots_canonical":"","_seopress_social_fb_title":"","_seopress_social_fb_desc":"","_seopress_social_fb_img":"","_seopress_social_fb_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_fb_img_height":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_title":"","_seopress_social_twitter_desc":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img":"","_seopress_social_twitter_img_attachment_id":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_width":0,"_seopress_social_twitter_img_height":0,"_seopress_redirections_value":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled":"","_seopress_redirections_enabled_regex":"","_seopress_redirections_logged_status":"","_seopress_redirections_param":"","_seopress_redirections_type":0,"_seopress_analysis_target_kw":"","inline_featured_image":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"wpai_generated_summary":"","footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"dois","default_image_id":71799,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"_wpas_customize_per_network":false},"categories":[17],"tags":[5637],"class_list":["post-34419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-regional-and-world-news","tag-desantis-suspends-central-florida-prosecutor"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=34419"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34419\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/34420"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=34419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=34419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=34419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/lakelandgazette.info\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/desantis-123.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1\")
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