ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — In a night loaded with sweeping victories for the Republican Party, one election outcome in Central Florida is sending a message to Tallahassee.
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In August, Governor Ron DeSantis Suspended Monique Worrell and appointed Andrew Bain, claiming Worrell was too soft on crime.
On Tuesday, Monique Worrell defeated Andrew Bain with 57 percent of the vote compared to Bain’s 43 percent to earn back her seat as the Orange-Osceola State Attorney.
After the race was called Tuesday evening, Worrell made an appearance at Orange County’s Democratic Party watch party and spoke to her supporters expressing vindication.
“I want to thank the voters for standing with me and saying we don’t believe you Ron DeSantis and we believe in the woman we elected,” said Worrell.
She sat down with Channel 9 prior to her victory explaining her campaign promise to restore “solution based justice.”
Her victory means for the second time in 18 months, nearly 200 prosecutors will see a leadership change resetting the way they tackle crime.
Channel 9 spoke to former Orange- Osceola Prosecutor, Ryan Vescio who has openly supported Bain.
Vescio told Channel 9, he believes there could be a mass exodus in the State Attorney’s Office ahead of Worrell’s takeover, as prosecutors recruited under Bain could chose to go elsewhere.
“Prosecutors just want to know what their boss wants, so they can go do good. And most of the prosecutors don’t care about the politics. But the reality of it is, is the politics drives how the biggest cases are handled,” said Vescio.
Worrell responded to that concern in an earlier Channel 9 interview stating, “If we’re talking about a mass exodus, why aren’t we talking about that? He (Andre Bain) brought back prosecutors who are in alignment with this lock them up and throw away the key mentality. Those weren’t the kind of people that I wanted working under my administration,” said Worrell.
Meanwhile, On Wednesday, University of Central Florida political science Professor John Hanley said a second suspension for Worrell isn’t out of the question, however, the Governor would need to once again site “Neglect of duty,” and provide a justification for that.
“We’ve seen Governor DeSantis is not shy about using this removal power,” said Hanley, “Those justifications could come along very quickly. You could say at the end of the first week that you’re not prosecuting people enough, that you’re not charging them appropriately, that you’re misusing the resources of your office,” said Hanley.
Channel 9 reached out to the Governor to ask whether he will pursue Worrell’s removal but did not hear back before news time.
In the meantime, SAO Bain sent a letter to his supporters conceding to Worrell.
Bain wrote, “To all my supporters, I want to express my deepest gratitude. Your dedication, trust, and belief in our mission have made all the difference. Together, we have built something strong, and your voices have been a critical part of our continued fight for justice and safety in our community.”
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