Will he or won't he? That is the question many are wondering in Florida politics today as it relates to fate of Florida's 9th Circuit Court State Attorney Monique Worrell.
Why?
That's simple. Last year, Gov. Ron DeSantis removed Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren from office because he pledged not to prosecute people violating the state's new abortion laws.
DeSantis didn't suspend Warren for not prosecuting people who violated that law, but because he said he wouldn't do it in the future.
Last week in Orlando, a murderous gang member shot five people and killed three, including a local TV reporter, a mother, and her 9-year-old daughter.
This tragedy didn't have to happen. In 2021 the accused killer was arrested by Orange County Sheriff's deputies.
Here's the scene: a car with three young men in it almost struck a cop car, so deputies pull it over, and as they approach the vehicle one of the young men tosses a firearm out of the car. Deputies said there were several ski masks in the car, and they found cannabis as well.
Driving erratically, smoking pot, and having ski masks sounds an awful lot like they were pre-planning for an armed robbery spree.
Thankfully, the deputies did their job and turned over the possession of the cannabis case to the State Attorney.
Before I get to what the State's Attorney did or didn't do, let's review this young man's record.
I, for one, want a world where juveniles are given a second chance. A world where we don't make assumptions based on someone's position in life, someone's color, ethnicity, or sexual orientation. I want a just world where everyone has a chance at a productive life.
But hardened criminals and known gang members — something Orange County Sheriff John Mina said this guy was — who repeatedly commit crimes need to be removed from our streets.
From 2018 to today, this killer (I'm purposefully not writing his name) was arrested for the following crimes: grand theft auto, battery, battery, resisting officer without violence, unarmed burglary of an unoccupied conveyance, grand theft, resisting officer without violence, battery, attempted robbery with a firearm, unarmed burglary of occupied conveyance and, finally, grand theft.
As I've said, I believe in second chances. I do not believe in 13th chances.
Let's take a closer look at to the 2021 drug charge. After the case was referred to prosecutors, the State Attorney's Office said it was "not suitable for prosecution."
I'm not a lawyer, nor am I an expert on criminal statutes or standards for prosecution, but if Hillsborough's State Attorney can be removed for saying he wouldn't prosecute a crime, how does this case stack up?
Especially when the office's refusal to prosecute allowed someone who should be behind bars to murder three Floridians.
Most of his arrests happened when he was a juvenile and under State Attorney Worrell's predecessor, Aramis Ayala, who was famously suspended by then-Gov. Rick Scott for refusing to pursue the death penalty in murder cases. Irony is a full circle indeed.
Now a U.S. Senator, Scott made this statement Friday: "Every prosecutor that chose to give this young criminal a pass should be fired TODAY, and State Attorney Worrell must immediately account for how her office failed to protect the community from a violent criminal and outline what she's changing to ensure it doesn't happen again. … I urge state officials to look at every option available to force accountability on this office."
Scott is clearly indicating that if he was still Governor, he would fire Worrell.
DeSantis faces a difficult dilemma, indeed.
"Will he or won't he?"
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