DeSantis Removes Another Soros-Backed Florida Prosecutor, Alleging She Is Too Soft on Criminals

The governor of Florida, Ron DeSantis, has removed another elected prosecutor from office for what he described as dereliction of duty by ignoring mandatory minimum sentences and handing down overly lenient sentences for repeat offenders.At a news conference Wednesday morning, Mr. DeSantis said he was removing the state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit near Orlando, Monique Worrell, effective immediately. The move comes almost a year to the day after he removed another Democratic state prosecutor at nearby Tampa, Andrew Warren.“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 conduct,” Mr. DeSantis said. “State Attorney Worrell’s practices undermine Florida law and endanger the safety, security and welfare of the communities Ms. Worrell was elected to serve.”“It is my duty as Governor to ensure that the laws enacted by our duly elected Legislature are followed,” the governor, a GOP presidential contender, added.Ms. Worrell was elected in 2020 with the backing of a group affiliated with a billionaire activist, George Soros. Mr. DeSantis replaced her with an Orange County judge, Andrew Bain, who previously served as an assistant state attorney at Orlando. Mr. Bain said his job will be to “prosecute crimes and to hold people accountable.”The move was immediately characterized by Democrats in Florida as a political one meant to shore up the governor’s credentials among GOP primary voters. They were particularly incensed because Ms. Worrell is the only Black woman serving as a prosecutor in the state of Florida.“This is absolutely disgusting,” a state representative, 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. This politically motivated action by the Governor in a predominantly democratic part of the state should alarm everyone.”In his executive order, Mr. DeSantis charged Ms. Worrell with ignoring mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking, as well as allowing juvenile offenders to avoid serious charges and jail time altogether. He also said she routinely limits charges involving child pornography and avoids sentence enhancements for habitual offenders and parolees on release from prison.The order also cited a number of recent cases that have dogged the prosecutor in the Florida press. Last weekend, he said, a man on probation for another offense, Daton Viel, was charged with sexual battery of a minor. Viel was released on bond and allegedly shot two Orlando police officers after his release.In another case, in June 2021, a minor with a string of prior arrests, including for assault with a firearm, burglary, and aggravated battery, was arrested for first-degree premeditated murder. The murder charges were dropped, and in January of this year he was arrested again, this time for grand theft of an automobile. Those charges were also dropped, Mr. DeSantis said.At a news conference Wednesday morning on the steps of the Orange County courthouse, Ms. Worrell said she would challenge her removal at court and continue her campaign to be re-elected in 2024. She characterized Mr. DeSantis’s move as a threat to democracy.“Elected officials are being taken out of office solely for political purposes and that should never be a thing,” Ms. Worrell said. “Under this tyranny, elected officials can be removed simply for political purposes and by a whim of the governor and no matter how you feel about me, you should not be OK with that.”Mr. Warren, who was removed from office by Mr. DeSantis in August 2022 after he signed pledges to not enforce Florida’s laws on abortion and gender transition treatments, also challenged the move in court, but the case was later dismissed. Mr. Warren has appealed the decision.

DeSantis Removes Another Soros-Backed Florida Prosecutor, Alleging She Is Too Soft on Criminals

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