Once more, Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has exercised his authority to suspend an elected local prosecutor, further complicating his struggling presidential campaign’s ongoing reboot.
DeSantis recently suspended Monique Worrell, a Democrat and the sole Black woman holding the position of local prosecutor in Florida. This marks the second instance in which he has wielded such power, having previously suspended Andrew Warren, a Tampa-area prosecutor, in August 2022 for indicating his reluctance to pursue charges under Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban.
Both Warren and Worrell received support from a committee financed by Democratic megadonor George Soros, a regular target of Republican attacks. DeSantis, in his fundraising endeavors and speeches, proudly touts his achievement as the “only elected official in America to remove a ‘progressive’ Soros-funded district attorney.”
DeSantis unveiled Worrell’s suspension in a hastily arranged press conference attended by law enforcement officials and his administration staff. This decision came right after DeSantis elevated his gubernatorial chief of staff, James Uthmeier, to campaign manager for his presidential bid.
As DeSantis grapples with his presidential campaign trailing behind former President Donald Trump, he recently ousted about 40% of his staff as part of an ongoing campaign makeover.
Worrell, however, isn’t conceding quietly. In a press conference, she criticized DeSantis as a “weak dictator” and asserted her role as a duly elected state attorney. She further stated that the nation is at risk of losing its democracy due to actions like DeSantis’s suspension of elected officials not aligned with him.
Worrell’s suspension follows months of political disputes with Republicans, particularly DeSantis, over her handling of a series of shootings in the Orlando area. This includes a high-profile case involving a shooting spree that left three dead, including a 9-year-old and a local journalist. The alleged gunman had numerous juvenile offenses but only one adult offense for drug possession in 2021.
DeSantis stated that the executive order suspending Worrell was based on her pattern of avoiding mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes and drug charges. He also cited her leniency towards juvenile offenders. However, her removal would require action by the Florida Senate.
Although DeSantis’s suspension of Warren had faced backlash and legal challenges, the Florida Supreme Court dismissed Warren’s case, emphasizing the “unreasonable delay” in filing the challenge.
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