WEEKLY ROUNDUP
DeSantis aims at another state attorney
TALLAHASSEE — Gov. Ron DeSantis this week suspended a second Democratic state prosecutor from office, targeting Central Florida State Attorney Monique Worrell and accusing her of “neglecting her duty” and being soft on criminal enforcement.
DeSantis, flanked by state and local law enforcement officials, made the “major announcement” about Worrell’s suspension Wednesday.
“We had a duty to act to protect the public from this dereliction of duty,” DeSantis said during a press conference.
In an executive order, DeSantis maintained that Worrell’s policies prevent or discourage assistant state attorneys from seeking mandatory minimum sentences for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses.
Worrell’s practices and policies constitute “abuse of prosecutorial discretion” and reflect “a systemic failure to enforce incarcerative penalties called for by Florida law,” the order said.
Hours after the governor’s announcement, Worrell was on the steps of the Orange County Courthouse telling reporters she intends to fight the suspension.
“I am your duly elected state attorney for the 9th Judicial Circuit, and nothing done by a weak dictator can change that,” Worrell said.
Worrell also said she will continue running for reelection to the post in 2024.
“I will not be quiet. I will not sit down. This office is just a building. I have been a public servant for my entire career. And I will continue to serve our community. I will continue to stand for democracy. I will continue to protect the rights of the disenfranchised,” she said.
DeSantis’ suspension of Worrell, who was elected in 2020 as state attorney for Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit in Orange and Osceola counties, came almost exactly a year after the governor stripped twice-elected Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren of his role.
Warren was among numerous Democrats who rebuked DeSantis for suspending Worrell.
“Another illegal and unconstitutional attack on democracy by a small, scared man who is desperate to save his political career,” Warren said in a statement.
Florida Democratic Party Chairwoman Nikki Fried also attacked DeSantis’ action, calling the suspension “a political hit job” that “threatens our democracy and undermines the will of the people.”
But Republicans and law enforcement officials — including Attorney General Ashley Moody, the state’s top cop — praised the governor’s actions. The attorney general said Worrell has dismissed charges or failed to file cases against defendants at a higher rate than any other prosecutor.
“If she were allowed to continue in this office, her failure would continue to cause needless pain, suffering, and death,” Moody added, who joined DeSantis at Wednesday’s announcement.
Worrell’s suspension came after she drew criticism from police union leaders who said her office should have done more to keep behind bars a man accused of shooting two Orlando police officers on Friday.
DeSantis on Wednesday also named Andrew Bain, who recently served as an Orange County judge, as acting state attorney. DeSantis in 2020 tapped Bain — a member of the conservative Federalist Society legal group — to serve on the county court.
The Florida Constitution gives the governor the authority to suspend elected officials. The ultimate decision about removal from office rests with the Florida Senate.
STATE OF FLUX
School districts across Florida this week scrambled to figure out what to do about teaching a college-credit psychology course, amid a dustup between DeSantis’ administration and the College Board.
Confusion over the College Board’s Advanced Placement psychology course is rooted in a controversial Florida law and a state regulation that restrict instruction on sexual orientation and gender identity in schools.
As students began returning to class this week, district leaders were taking a patchwork of approaches to the course.
The state Department of Education reportedly last week told school superintendents in a conference call that schools were not allowed to teach a unit in the psychology course dealing with “gender and sexual orientation.” The College Board then issued a statement saying the state restrictions would prohibit teaching the course.
But after news reports that the course was off-limits in Florida, state Education Commissioner Manny Diaz fired back at the College Board. Diaz told superintendents in a memo last Friday that the course could be taught “in its entirety in a manner that is age and developmentally appropriate.”
After Diaz released his memo, the College Board said it “represents revised guidance” on the course.
“We hope now that Florida teachers will be able to teach the full course, including content on gender and sexual orientation, without fear of punishment in the upcoming school year,” the College Board said in a statement.
With the academic year kicking off Thursday in many districts, local school officials rushed to make decisions about the course.
A number of districts announced that they dropped the Advanced Placement psychology course and replaced it with other college-credit classes. Some moved ahead with the AP course, which 28,000 Florida students took last year, according to the College Board.
For example, Pinellas County was among the districts that decided to forego the College Board’s course. The county was “transitioning” to a college-credit course offered by Cambridge AICE, the district said on its website.
In contrast, Suwannee County Superintendent of Schools Ted Roush said he “backed teaching the traditional AP psychology course” but left it up to individual school administrators to decide whether to offer the course, switch to an alternative college-credit course or offer a “regular” psychology class to students.
In Broward County, where classes resume on Aug. 21, district officials said Wednesday they would require parental consent for students to take the AP course.
IT’S GETTING HOT IN HERE
With air conditioners cranked up to combat scorching heat, Tampa Electric Co. set a record Tuesday for summer electricity use, the utility said.
At 5 p.m. Tuesday, Tampa Electric customers used 4,640 megawatts of electricity, the highest amount used at any moment. That topped the previous record of 4,514 megawatts on Aug. 18, 2021, the utility said in a news release Wednesday.
“This weather is not easy on our customers,” Archie Collins, president and chief executive officer of Tampa Electric, said in a prepared statement. “Air conditioners are working harder, and bills are higher as a result.”
STORY OF THE WEEK: Gov. Ron DeSantis on Wednesday suspended Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, accusing the prosecutor of “neglecting her duty” and being lax on criminal enforcement.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK: “The authoritarian tactic of removing duly-elected officials without legal cause is a direct affront to voters and Gov. DeSantis’ removal of the Orlando state attorney is a brazen and petulant act of a flailing presidential candidate whose disregard for democracy and the rule of law is deeply troubling.” — U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, a South Florida Democrat.