After teasing a “major” announcement on Wednesday (August 3), that would cause the “liberal meltdown of the year,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) announced he was suspending the Hillsborough County District Attorney for “neglect of duty.”
At a news conference in the county’s sheriff’s office, DeSantis lambasted District Attorney Andrew Warren, for a failure to enforce bans on transgender and abortion surgery, “When you flagrantly violate your oath of office, when you make yourself above the law, you have violated your duty, you have neglected your duty and you are displaying a lack of competence to be able to perform those duties.”
DeSantis then went on to reveal that Warren — a Democrat — would be suspended with immediate effect.
Despite being an elected state official, Article IV, Section 7 of Florida’s state constitution, gives DeSantis the authority to suspend any state official for “malfeasance, misfeasance, neglect of duty, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties, or commission of a felony, and may fill the office by appointment for the period of suspension.”
Warren had served in the role of Attorney General since winning the election in 2016 over his Republican counterpart, becoming an outspoken critic and a significant voice for criminal justice reform.
Citing instances where Warren had reneged on his duties as a public prosecutor, DeSantis referenced letters Warren had signed that indicated he would not be enforcing “prohibitions on sex change operations for minors” or “any laws related to protecting the right to life.”
DeSantis criticized Warren’s actions, saying it wasn’t for the state prosecutor to “put himself above that and say that he’s not going to enforce the laws.”
Warren will be replaced by former Judge Susan Lopez.
