DeSantis suspends Florida state attorney

Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday announced he was suspending State Attorney Monique Worrell of Orlando for dereliction of duty and incompetence. He said she failed to “faithfully prosecute crime in her jurisdiction.” DeSantis pointed to her low incarceration rate and said she did not seek mandatory minimum sentences in cases of drug trafficking, gun control, and child pornography. DeSantis said she abused her power of discretion in cases, which worked to “effectively nullify” Florida law.

Why is she being suspended now? Worrell believes her suspension is politically motivated. She said that the announcement came the day after DeSantis replaced his presidential campaign manager. She accused the governor of orchestrating her suspension because “he needed to get back in the media in some positive way.” Crime fighting is one of the DeSantis campaign’s most-discussed issues. Less than a year ago, DeSantis suspended the Hillsborough County attorney Andrew Warren for refusing to prosecute people seeking abortions across state lines.

Dig deeper: Read Jeremy Abegg-Guzman, Leo Briceno, Anna Catherman, and Mary Harrison’s report in WORLD Magazine about the GOP primaries ahead of the 2024 election.