Would Warren be suspended again if he wins Hillsborough state attorney race?
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TAMPA — The question loomed even before ousted Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren declared that he would run in this year’s election to reclaim his job: If he wins, would Gov. Ron DeSantis suspend him again? Warren cited that possibility early this year when he first announced he would not run, then changed his mind after a court ruled in his favor. But the question lingers as the Democrat and his appointed replacement, Republican Suzy Lopez, barrel toward Election Day. How likely is a new suspension?
The answer varies depending on who you ask. For some, it’s a certainty. Others think Warren would have to do something for the governor to justify yanking him from office again. “He’s going to be under a microscope,” said Elizabeth Martinez Strauss, who ran against Warren in the Democratic primary. The possibility isn’t something Warren seems to dwell on as he campaigns.
“I can’t predict what the governor will do,” Warren told the Tampa Bay Times. “He has engaged in various political stunts, several of which have been found to be, or are clearly, illegal. But I’ll do what I’ve always done, which is fight for our safety, freedoms and democracy. ” DeSantis hasn’t said one way or the other. “I think that’ll work itself out,” the governor said when asked about the issue during an appearance last month, as reported by the News Service of Florida.
His office did not respond to a request for comment for this story. DeSantis suspended Warren in August 2022, accusing the elected state attorney of incompetence and neglect of duty. The suspension order cited a pair of statements Warren signed with other elected prosecutors and others around the nation, pledging not to prosecute cases involving abortion or gender-affirming care for minors. The order also noted Warren’s policies that discouraged prosecutions of low-level nonviolent crimes — with resources instead focused on violent crimes — or cases arising from bicycle stops, a practice linked to racial disparities. The policies stated that prosecutors should use discretion in deciding whether to pursue charges in such cases.
Warren sued the governor in federal court in a bid to be restored to office. After a trial, U. S.