Doing his day job
State Attorney Monique Worrell was suspended on Wednesday by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis. DeSantis is running for the Republican nomination for president but he still has a day job.
DeSantis suspended Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell for “dereliction of duty” on crime via an executive order. His office said that Worrell routinely allowed murderers and other violent criminals “escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct.” DeSantis has chosen Florida Judge Andrew Bain to replace Worrell.
“The practices and policies of her office have allowed murderers, other violent offenders, and dangerous drug traffickers to receive extremely reduced sentences and escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct. In some cases, these offenders have evaded incarceration altogether,” DeSantis’ office wrote in a statement.
“State Attorney Worrell’s practices undermine Florida law and endanger the safety, security, and welfare of the communities that Ms. Worrell was elected to serve,” it continued.
Too bad. So sad. Nah. She’s a Soro-backed Democrat who, according to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, said that Worrell avoided mandatory minimum sentencing for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses. She allowed juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges and incarceration, too. It is alleged that she limited charges against child pornography offenders and she avoided sentencing enhancements such as those based on prior offenses.
DeSantis old reporters at the press conference that he is confident that the Florida constitution grants him this authority. That confidence probably comes the outcome from when he suspended the first state attorney he thought was not doing his job in enforcing the state’s abortion ban. When DeSantis suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022 the suspension was upheld by a federal judge.
