Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Monique Worrell for "dereliction of duty" on crime via an executive order on Wednesday.
DeSantis' office says that Worrell, whose jurisdiction includes Orlando, has routinely allowed murderers and other violent offenders to "escape the full consequences of their criminal conduct." The governor is tapping Florida judge Andrew Bain to replace Worrell as the state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit.
"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.
This is the second time DeSantis has taken drastic action against a Florida prosecutor who he says failed to do their jobs. He also suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren in August 2022 for refusing to enforce the state's abortion ban, Fox reports.
