A.G. Gancarski
Ron DeSantis continues to be the leading warrior against “woke” in the Republican presidential race, and on Thursday he told Iowans how he won his most recent battle against the concept.
During a Never Back Down tour stop in Coralville, DeSantis told a crowd how his suspension of elected Orlando-area State Attorney Monique Worrell, the only Black female State Attorney in Florida, was his latest triumph in that ongoing conflict.
“When (woke) overtakes criminal justice, you see these prosecutors who say they’re not going to prosecute people, they’re not going to hold them accountable in places like Los Angeles and Chicago and communities end up less safe as a result of that,” DeSantis said.
“You know, in Florida we just acted, we had a prosecutor in Orlando. She wouldn’t prosecute cases. She’s putting people out back on the street. And this one guy shot two police officers because he should have been in jail and he’s out there. So I removed her from her post,” DeSantis added. “I’m not going to just sit there and take that.”
The Governor took a break from a Hawkeye State intensive campaign schedule Wednesday to suspend Worrell during a press conference in Tallahassee, after first leaking the news of his second suspension of an elected State Attorney to Fox News.
Worrell won election as State Attorney in Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit in 2020 and recently announced she would seek a second term in 2024. However, she has been replaced in the near term by former Judge Andrew Bain.
An executive order specifically takes Worrell to task on seeking mandatory minimum sentences on crimes involving firearms. It notes the Osceola County Sheriff’s Office referred 58 non-homicide robbery with a firearm cases to prosecutors in 2021 and 2022. But as of May, only one of those cases resulted in a minimum mandatory sentence of 10 years.
The order also notes the judicial circuit had one of the lowest prison admission rates in the state for robbery with a weapon, armed burglary and weapons possession.
“Worrell’s practices or policies of avoiding minimum mandatory sentences for gun crimes not only defies the expressed will of the Florida Legislature, it also subjects the residents of Orange and Osceola Counties and surrounding areas to increased risk of harm as violent criminals in the community are too often left on the streets or prematurely returned to the streets to cause further violence and mischief,” the order reads.
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Jacob Ogles of Florida Politics contributed to this report.
12 comments
My Take
August 10, 2023 at 1:53 pm
Is not America sick of hearing “woke” and about woke?
Governer Desantos
August 10, 2023 at 2:36 pm
Have you seen my national polls? Never back down! Heil!
Go Woke OR Go Broke!
August 10, 2023 at 3:42 pm
The Barbie movie literally made a Billion dollars, but these drooling idiots keep on chanting “Go woke, Go Broke” when the exact opposite is true.
Dont Say FLA
August 10, 2023 at 1:56 pm
Rhonda actually admitted the firing was politically motivated?
Rhonda admitted he did that in an attempt at getting his failed campaign out of the toilet bowl?
What a Mo! Rhonda is the Mo that knows no bounds to Mo’ness.
Anti 2A Ron
August 10, 2023 at 1:59 pm
Wait the mandatory minimums she ignored were gun related?
Ron is so anti-woke that he will take anti-2A action just to “own the woke?”
Man, that is anti-woke. Ron is serious about his anti-woke work. Throwing 2A under the bus like that. Wow.
My Take
August 10, 2023 at 2:00 pm
He is basically asking primary states to vote to become part of Greater DeSSanistan.
Is their lack of enthusiasm any surprise?
Michael K
August 10, 2023 at 2:00 pm
Yes, another career and institution, damaged just for another spiteful talking point for a failing political campaign led by a deeply flawed candidate.
What a feckless jerk.
Reeter
August 10, 2023 at 2:11 pm
Thank you Gov!!
Governer Desantos
August 10, 2023 at 2:35 pm
You’re so very welcome, my ever-faithful boot-licking toadie.
PeterH
August 10, 2023 at 2:15 pm
Republicans complain about the “weaponization of the justice system” when Republicans ARE THE PERPETRATORS of such blatant infractions on elected prosecutors.
Republicans complain about dangerous “woke” groomers influencing our education system but as stated in Politico (https://www.politico.com/news/2023/08/09/in-desantis-florida-schools-get-ok-for-climate-denial-videos-ee-00109466) Florida REPUBLICANS IN FLORIDA have authorized teachers to brainwash school children with a barrage of cartoons depicting how windmills and PV panels are inherently dangerous and harmful. WAKE UP FLORIDA!
Republicans are America’s worst enemy!
Vote all Republicans out of office.
Joe
August 10, 2023 at 2:33 pm
“Woke” is an adjective, you tiny angry idiot.
DeSantarded FL
August 11, 2023 at 2:31 pm
I’m sure her race and sex played no role in it
Comments are closed.