‘Star-studded cast’ converges to celebrate Suzy Lopez swearing-in

Some of the most prominent Florida Republicans visited Tampa as 13th Circuit State Attorney Suzy Lopez was officially sworn into office.

The Republican won her race against former State Attorney Andrew Warren with nearly 53% of the vote in November. Gov. Ron DeSantis, Attorney General Ashley Moody and Moody’s predecessor, U.S. Attorney General nominee Pam Bondi, were on hand to see Lopez take the reins after her first win at the ballot box.

DeSantis suspended Warren in 2022 for “neglect of duty” over not pursuing abortion prosecutions. DeSantis then appointed Lopez to fill the rest of Warren’s term. On Tuesday, the Governor and what he called a “star-studded cast” celebrated the first woman to be elected State Attorney in Hillsborough County.

DeSantis, who referenced Tampa-area baseball history in the early part of his remarks, likened Moody, Bondi, and Lopez to the 1927 New York Yankees. He noted all three prosecutors were women from Hillsborough, a “murderers’ row of prosecutors that would make Babe Ruth blush.”

The Governor noted Lopez was asked to “right the ship” and “kept her eye on the ball” despite “political undercurrents.”

“The results have spoken for themselves,” DeSantis said.

He noted that there is no room for “prosecutors who come in with a political agenda,” and that “the inmates are no longer running the asylum” in Hillsborough.

DeSantis also lauded her campaign, which his team “helped” on, noting Lopez “got more votes in this county than anybody else” on the 2024 ballot.

After being sworn in by Moody and Bondi, an emotional Lopez, who was “born and raised” in Hillsborough, addressed the audience, noting that her “gratitude” for those in attendance and “everyone in Hillsborough County” who supported her was “overwhelming.”

“I know that I did not get here alone,” Lopez said, promising to “pursue public safety together.”

“We bring justice for victims and we support victims and their families,” Lopez said. “We work every day for public safety and to bring justice to families.”

The newly elected State Attorney wasn’t finished, vowing to make her home county “safer with Suzy.”

“We’ve righted the ship,” Lopez added. “We’ve brought it back to basics.”