POLK COUNTY, Fla. — A Grand Jury has been called and people have been subpoenaed to appear in Bartow, the seat of Polk County, as an investigation into Monique Worrell’s administration before she was suspended from office winds to a close, sources confirmed to Channel 9.
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Worrell was seen walking into the courthouse shortly after it opened Friday, flanked by two attorneys. She was seen meeting with Bill Gladson, the State Attorney for Marion, Sumter, and Lake counties.
Multiple people familiar with the investigation said Gladson was appointed to oversee the investigation and Grand Jury proceedings.
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It’s unclear if Worrell is a target of the investigation or a witness, and as of midday Friday none of the people who have spoken with reporters could confirm the charges Gladson is trying to press.
The timing, however, is notable, as Worrell is scheduled to take her oath of office and resume power on Tuesday morning. Her re-election was seen as a repudiation of Gov. Ron DeSantis, who suspended her from office in 2023 on accusations many considered political.
Several of Worrell’s allies theorized that the investigation was, or at least began as a last-ditch effort to give DeSantis leverage to suspend her from office next week.
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Meanwhile, members of the Orange County Legislative Delegation released a statement calling the investigation alarming.
The statement read in part: “As members of the Orange County Legislative Delegation, we are deeply troubled by the apparent state investigation into our duly elected State Attorney Monique Worrell. Though we do not know the full details of the grand jury proceedings at hand, we are alarmed by their suspicious timing just days before Worrell’s oath of office and by what appears to be yet another politically motivated effort by Governor Ron DeSantis to undermine the will of the people.”
Neither Worrell nor Gladson would comment on Friday’s court proceedings or acknowledge the existence of the grand jury.
After leaving the courthouse, Worrell spoke to reporters about her transition back into office and her plans for the next four years.
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“We had the lowest violent crime rate that this community had in over a decade. And I look forward to implementing the programs that were in place that we were able to do that,” Worrell said.
She said she had been able to meet with key people inside the office and believed it would be a smooth handover from Andrew Bain’s administration to hers.
“I’ve had excellent communication with the office,” Worrell added. “I’ve been speaking with the comms people as well as the executive director, and I am confident that my transition will be smooth.”
According to the Polk County Chief Judge, a hearing has been scheduled in a few weeks, so an indictment won’t be handed down until at least February.
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