Gov. Ron DeSantis has suspended another elected prosecutor. This time it’s Monique Worrell of the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court in Orange and Osceola counties, a Democrat who was elected in November 2020 and is the second African American to hold the position.
The Republican governor, who interrupted his presidential campaign to visit Tallahassee for the announcement, alleged that Worrell has been lax in charging decisions against violent offenders. She has been “clearly and fundamentally derelict so as to constitute neglect of duty and incompetence,” he said during a news conference.
“Prosecutors do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not. But what this state’s attorney has done is abuse that discretion and has effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida,” DeSantis added. “That breaches her duties that she owes to the people of Florida under our state Constitution and provides the basis for this suspension.”
Worrell, during a news conference in downtown Orlando, asserted that DeSantis saw her suspension as a way to bolster his quest for the GOP presidential nomination, which has been flagging of late.
“This is a political hit job. It is nothing less than that. And it should be seen for exactly what it is,” Worrell said.
The development came just over a year after the Republican governor suspended the twice-elected Democratic prosecutor last Aug. 4 for alleged “neglect of duty” and “incompetence” arising from Warren’s signing of a pledge not to prosecute alleged crimes arising from provision of abortion or transgender care.
A federal judge in Tallahassee later ruled that Warren never imposed any blanket nonprosecution policies and that DeSantis acted for his own “political benefit” against a progressive prosecutor preparatory to the governor’s presidential bid. However, the judge ruled he was powerless to reinstate Warren.
Warren appealed that ruling to the Florida Supreme Court, which turned him away on June 22, and to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit, where his case remains pending.
DeSantis named Orange County Judge Andrew Bain to fill the vacancy. He’s a former prosecutor in the same judicial circuit. The Florida Senate must vote on whether Worrell will formally lose her job.
Elected Democrats lamented the move.
“We saw this coming from a mile away – with his presidential campaign up in flames, wanna-be dictator Gov. Ron DeSantis is taking a page out of his tired playbook by unconstitutionally suspending a duly elected state attorney to breathe life back into his tired conservative persona,” U.S. Rep. Maxwell Frost said in a written statement.
“State Attorney Worrell is a duly elected public servant who has done her job. The people of Orange County see this fraud suspension for what it is and continue to offer her our support as she fights this overreach of power. We will not stand for this blatant abuse of power and fascism in our state,” Frost added.
“This is absolutely disgusting — State Attorney Monique Worrell is a duly elected official and the only Black woman serving as State Attorney in Florida right now,” state House member Anna Eskamani of Orange County said.
“Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Gov. DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy. This politically motivated action by the governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone. DeSantis is extreme, unfit to serve, and must be held accountable.”
“By removing Monique Worrell without just cause, the governor has effectively silenced the voices of Circuit 9 residents who saw in her a champion of justice, equality, and fairness,” said state Rep. Michele Rayner-Goolsby, representing parts of Hillsborough and Pinellas counties, said. “I urge the residents of Circuit 9 to express their discontent and demand accountability from their elected officials. It is crucial that we stand united against such abuses of power and defend the principles of democracy that make our state and our nation strong.”
In an executive order, DeSantis complained that Worrell’s office has been undercharging violent offenses and putting the community at risk.
“Worrell has authorized or allowed practices or policies that have systematically permitted violent offenders, drug traffickers, serious-juvenile offenders, and pedophiles to evade incarceration, when otherwise warranted under Florida law,” the order reads.
“These practices or policies include non-filing or dropping meritorious charges or declining to allege otherwise provable facts to avoid triggering applicable lengthy sentences, minimum mandatory sentences, or other sentencing enhancements, especially for offenders under the age of 25, except in the most extreme cases.”
The document cites low rates of imposition of mandatory sentences for gun crimes, including robbery and carjacking, plus drug trafficking from the Ninth Circuit. It alleges Worrell has also gone easy on child pornography.
Attached to the order is a report from the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice indicating that the Ninth Circuit led the state in dropping felony charges against juveniles at 42% and dropped gun charges at 29%.
