State Attorney Monique Worrell likened Gov. Ron DeSantis (R-FL) to a "weak dictator" after he suspended her for allegedly neglecting her prosecutorial duties in central Florida.
Worrell told reporters on Wednesday that the only thing to be mourning in the wake of her suspension was "the loss of democracy," and introduced herself as the "duly elected state attorney" for the area.
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"If we're mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy. I am your duly elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that," Worrell said.
"This is an outrage. Three years ago, I was elected by the people of the Ninth Judicial Circuit to lead this circuit and yes, to do things unconventionally, to do things differently. But I didn't hide, I didn't say I would do things and I wouldn't do them. I didn't say I wouldn't do things and not did them. I did exactly what I said I would do and that is what you want from an elected official," Worrell continued.
Worrell also claimed she was being removed for political reasons, and that her removal could only be justified if she had committed a crime, neglected her duties by not showing up to work and doing her job, or had an illness that prevented her from doing her job.
DeSantis argued in his announcement that Worrell had neglected her duties and was not properly doing her job under Florida law.
“It is my duty as governor to ensure that the laws enacted by our duly elected legislature are followed,” DeSantis said in a statement. “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.”
DeSantis explained at a press conference on Wednesday how Worrell allegedly failed to prosecute criminals, including repeat offenders, and invoked the shooting of two Orlando police officers over the weekend.
The governor also announced that Judge Andrew Bain would take over Worrell's role.
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Worrell is the second state attorney DeSantis has suspended in the past year, after he suspended Tampa-area State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022.
The Orlando-based prosecutor has been linked in the past to liberal billionaire George Soros, having received a boost from groups linked to Soros during the 2020 Democratic primary. She has since distanced herself from Soros, saying that she never met him and only learned of the support her campaign received from groups connected to him via news reports.