Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis announced the suspension of another Democrat state attorney on Wednesday.
Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell was sidelined by the governor for her alleged “dereliction of duty,” Fox News reported.
Worrell, whose district includes Orlando, routinely allowed murderers and other violent offenders to “escape the full consequences of their actions,” the governor’s office claimed.
“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, per Fox News.
“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,” said the governor’s office.
The decision marked the second time DeSantis has moved against a prosecutor for their allegedly lax approach to crime. The 2024 Republican presidential candidate also suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022.
DeSantis claimed Warren was refusing to uphold the state’s abortion ban. A federal judge upheld the suspension.
“Another illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career,” Warren said in response to Worrell’s ouster, per Florida Politics. “He wants to be a bully, but he’s actually a coward who has repeatedly violated the rule of law and the will of the voters to cover up his own weakness.”
DeSantis spoke about Worrell’s suspension in a news conference with Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Wednesday morning. They alleged that Worrell routinely avoided mandatory minimum sentencing for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses.
“This is the right move. Democrats’ soft-on-crime policies are eroding our communities and families’ ability to feel safe,” said Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL), per Florida Politics. “In February, I called on State Attorney Monique Worrell to deliver the justice and accountability needed for the families affected by shootings in her district and said her suspension would be fully justified. She failed to do her job. Families deserve better.”
Dallas District Attorney John Creuzot has also garnered a reputation for lax prosecution, the center of which was his theft “amnesty” policy of declining to prosecute defendants for thefts valued at less than $750. As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Creuzot had to drop the policy after receiving significant pushback.
He received similar criticism for declining to seek the death penalty in the case of convicted murderer and suspected serial killer Billy Chemirmir.
Like Warren, Creuzot also swore not to uphold Texas’ abortion ban.
