Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis poised to remove another Soros-backed state attorney

AP Photo/Alberto Pezzali, File

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis is set to remove another state attorney, Monique H. Worrell, backed by Democratic megadonor George Soros, from office. This move follows DeSantis' previous removal of a Soros-backed prosecutor, making him the only governor in the U.S. to do so.

Monique H. Worrell, the state attorney for Florida’s 9th Judicial Circuit, recently told attendees at the Marion County NAACP Freedom Fund that she anticipates Governor Ron DeSantis will remove her from office, possibly as early as this week.

Worrell has received significant support from Democratic megadonor George Soros.

DeSantis criticized Worrell earlier this year for her failure to keep 19-year-old Keith Moses off the streets. Moses stands accused of shooting five people and murdering three, including 9-year-old T’yonna Major, 38-year-old Nathacha Augustin, and 24-year-old reporter Dylan Lyons of Spectrum News 13. Most of Moses' multiple arrests for felonious crimes occurred when he was a minor, before Worrell took office in early 2021.

However, one arrest occurred under Worrell's tenure when Moses was apprehended on suspicion of marijuana possession, as reported by WESH 2. Although Moses was not prosecuted due to the small amount of the substance found, a gun was also discovered.

DeSantis expressed disbelief at the situation, stating, “I cannot believe they let this guy – you have to hold people accountable. This idea – and, I know the district attorney, state attorney in Orlando thinks that you don’t prosecute people and that’s the way that you somehow have better communities – that does not work.”

The governor added that repeatedly releasing individuals with multiple arrests back into the community only increases the likelihood of negative outcomes.

DeSantis is the only governor in the U.S. who has removed a Soros-backed prosecutor from power. In August, he ordered the removal of State Attorney Andrew Warren of the 13th Judicial Circuit from office.

In a statement, DeSantis said, “State Attorneys have a duty to prosecute crimes as defined in Florida law, not to pick and choose which laws to enforce based on his personal agenda. It is my duty to hold Florida’s elected officials to the highest standards for the people of Florida. I have the utmost trust that Judge Susan Lopez will lead the office through this transition and faithfully uphold the rule of law.”

The Executive Order suspending Warren from office directed the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, assisted by other law enforcement agencies as necessary, to oversee the immediate transition of Andrew Warren from the Office of the State Attorney for the 13th Judicial Circuit of Florida, allowing him access only to retrieve his personal belongings, and to ensure that no files, papers, documents, notes, records, computers, or removable storage media are removed from the office by Warren or his staff.