Florida’s Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has suspended another elected Democratic prosecutor from office on accusations that she failed to impose mandatory sentences for certain crimes and let juvenile offenders avoid incarceration.
Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell, who was elected in 2020 and took office in 2021, has been “clearly and fundamentally derelict” in her duties, Mr DeSantis alleged in a press conference on 9 August. Ms Worrell – the only Black woman serving as a state prosecutor in Florida – had recently announced her intention to run again in 2024.
“If we’re mourning anything this morning, it is the loss of democracy, “ Ms Worrell said in remarks in response. “I am your duly elected state attorney ... and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that. This is an outrage.”
An executive order signed by the governor and Republican Secretary of State Cord Byrd accuses the Democratic state attorney of “systematically” allowing people to avoid jail time, either by dropping charges or declining to allege provable facts.
He acknowledged that prosecutors like Ms Worrell “do have a certain amount of discretion about which cases to bring and which not” but he claimed that she has “abused” that discretion and “effectively nullified certain laws in the state of Florida”.
Last year, Mr DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren after he criticised the governor’s positions on abortion care and gender-affirming care for transgender people.
A federal judge affirmed the suspension but admonished the governor for falsely accusing Mr Warren of relying on a blanket policy to avoid prosecuting certain cases with which he disagreed.
Monique Worrell— (Office of the State Attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit)
“The allegation was false,” US District Judge Robert Hinkle said in a ruling issued on 20 January. “Mr Warren’s well-established policy, followed in every case by every prosecutor in the office, was to exercise prosecutorial discretion at every stage of every case. Any reasonable investigation would have confirmed this.”
Mr DeSantis has appointed Orlando-area judge Andrew Bain to replace Ms Worrell.
She had recently come under fire from Republican officials following a shooting that left three dead in February, with a suspect with an alleged history of criminal offenses on the streets at the time of the shooting; 19-year-old Keith Melvin Moses is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Another man, 28-year-old Daton Viel, had been released on bond following a March arrest for sexual assault against a child when he allegedly fired at officers during a recent traffic stop.
“Bond is something that individuals are entitled to as a matter of law. In this case, the court determined that this individual was entitled to bond,” Ms Worrell said at a news conference earlier this week. “I don’t determine who gets out of jail. All I do is uphold the law.”
Democratic officials in Florida have accused the governor of using politically motivated removals of elected prosecutors to elevate his national profile as he campaigns for the 2024 Republican nomination for president.
“This is absolutely disgusting,” Orlando-area state Rep Anna Eskamani said in a statement.
“Her removal is a complete slap in the face to Orange and Osceola County residents and another example of Governor DeSantis eroding our local control and democracy,” she added. “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.”
Florida Democratic Party chair Nikki Fried said the governor has “gone too far” and demanded that Mr DeSantis immediately reinstate her.
“Monique Worrell is a devoted public servant — one who was elected overwhelmingly by her constituents,” she said in a statement. “This political hit job threatens our democracy and undermines the will of the people.”
