Orange-Osceola state attorney candidates make final Election Day pitches

or the past year, suspended Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell has battled to get her job back after her removal by Gov. Ron DeSantis — accused of failing to “faithfully” and more aggressively prosecute crime.

The Democrat’s suspension — after what DeSantis and allies said was a pattern of being “soft on crime” and public spats with law enforcement leaders in Orange and Osceola counties — led to the appointment of Andrew Bain, a former Orange County judge. Running as a no-party-affiliated candidate, he seeks to retain his seat on a tougher approach to prosecuting people accused of violent felonies.

Worrell’s suspension, which was upheld by the Florida Supreme Court, made her one of two progressives seeking to get jobs back as their region’s chief prosecutor. The other is in Hillsborough County, where State Attorney Andrew Warren also was suspended by the governor and is running against his appointed replacement — and questions remain over whether either will again be suspended by DeSantis should they win.

But ultimately, the race between them asks voters a critical question: Did the governor get it right?



https://www.orlandosentinel.com/2024/10/28/did-desantis-get-it-right-orange-osceola-state-attorney-candidates-make-final-election-day-pitches/