Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) announced the suspension of State Attorney Monique Worrell for alleged incompetency and neglect of duty.
Worrell, who was elected as state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit in 2020, will be replaced by Judge Andrew Bain in the interim. The suspension of Worrell comes a year after DeSantis suspended State Attorney Andrew Warren for not enforcing certain laws.
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“It is my duty as Governor to ensure that the laws enacted by our duly elected Legislature are followed,” DeSantis said. “The people of Central Florida deserve to have a State Attorney who will seek justice in accordance with the law instead of allowing violent criminals to roam the streets and find new victims.”
The governor's office claimed Worrell was "neglecting her duty to faithfully prosecute crime in her jurisdiction" and that her policies "too often allowed violent criminals to escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct, thereby endangering the innocent civilians of Orange and Osceola counties."
At a press conference announcing the suspension on Wednesday, DeSantis detailed how Worrell allegedly failed to prosecute criminals, including repeat offenders, and invoked the shooting of two Orlando police officers over the weekend.
It’s my duty to protect the people of Florida.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 9, 2023
We will not tolerate a State Attorney who pursues an agenda at the expense of Floridians. Florida is a law-and-order state. As long as I’m Governor, it will stay that way. pic.twitter.com/lsguX9M3Sd
"I have no doubt that today's decision is not only consistent with the constitution and laws of Florida and that we have a right to act. I know with today's decision we had a duty to act, to protect the public from this dereliction of duty," DeSantis said.
The Orlando-area prosecutor, who received a boost in the Democratic primary in 2020 by groups linked to liberal billionaire George Soros, had been discussed as a potential target for suspension for months. Despite the boost in 2020, Worrell has distanced herself from the billionaire, saying at the time she had never met him and that she learned of the boost from groups linked to him via news reports.
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“I never brokered any relationship,” Worrell told Orlando television station WKMG. “I was not told 'do this and I’ll give you this.'”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the office of the state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit for comment.