Florida Ninth Judicial District State Attorney Monique Worrell is suspended as of Wednesday morning via an executive order from Gov. Ron DeSantis.
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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Monique Worrell, the state attorney for Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit, accusing her of under-prosecuting criminals in her jurisdiction.
An executive order signed by DeSantis and Secretary of State Cord Byrd accused Worrell of “systematically” allowing criminals to evade incarceration, either by dropping charges or declining to allege provable facts.
Worrell, a Democratic elected official who took office in 2021, accused DeSantis of peddling a “false narrative” and fascinating in “political gamesmanship.”
“Everyone knows that this is just not about policy or anything that I’ve actually done,” she said.
Worrell alleged that the Republican governor “and his cronies have been looking for a reason for my suspension for well over a 12 months now.”
The suspension was announced at a surprise press conference Wednesday, at which DeSantis claimed Worrell had been “clearly and fundamentally derelict” in her duties.
Her actions constitute “each neglect of duty and incompetence,” in response to the chief order the governor signed.
While DeSantis acknowledged that prosecutors like Worrell “have a specific amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not,” he accused Worrell of getting “abused that discretion.”
Worrell’s suspension is effective immediately. DeSantis appointed Orlando Judge Andrew Bain, reportedly a member of the conservative Federalist Society, to fill her post.
It is the second time as governor that DeSantis has taken executive motion against an elected state attorney over accusations of being soft on crime.
DeSantis last 12 months suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren after Warren said he wouldn’t implement state restrictions on abortion or gender-related surgery. A federal judge affirmed the suspension but said DeSantis had violated the attorney’s free speech rights.
DeSantis on Wednesday expressed confidence that his latest motion was legal.
But Worrell vowed to fight her suspension and proceed her reelection campaign.
“This shouldn’t occur in a democracy,” she said, noting that she is losing her salary and her advantages.
She also defended herself against accusations about her track record as a state attorney, citing police statistics that show “crime is down” in Orange County and in her judicial district.
The surprise move to dismiss an elected state official got here as DeSantis struggles to achieve ground within the Republican presidential primary.
Once seen as a serious contender to former President Donald Trump, DeSantis has appeared to slip in national polls of the race.
His campaign, which remains to be lower than three months old, has fired dozens of staffers in recent weeks. On Tuesday, he replaced his campaign manager along with his gubernatorial chief of staff.
“He replaced his campaign manager yesterday, and I suppose today it’s my turn,” Worrell said Wednesday.
