Following Governor DeSantis’ decision to suspend Hillsborough County’s duly elected State Attorney, Andrew Warren, Representative Fentrice Driskell (D-Tampa), Leader-Designate of the Florida House Democratic Caucus, issued the following statement:
“I’m not going to mince words: this is a shocking political attack on an elected official serving the people of Hillsborough County. Andrew Warren is being removed because he assured our community that he will not be a foot soldier in Ron DeSantis’ extremist agenda. As anti-abortion radicals try to move us closer to a full abortion ban, he said he wouldn’t prosecute women, or families with LGBTQ+ kids, by interfering with personal decision-making about their health care.
Every county prosecutor uses their discretion in handling cases in their communities. Andrew Warren was operating fully within the appropriate discretion of his office, and if the people of Hillsborough County don’t like what he is doing, then we can make our voices heard at the ballot box. We did not need the Governor coming down from Tallahassee to punish someone he considers a political enemy. This throws our criminal justice system in Hillsborough County into unnecessary chaos and confusion.
Also, I find it incredibly hypocritical that the Governor says we are a nation of laws not men after he instructed the legislature to ignore the Voting Rights Act during Redistricting, and while his Commissioner of Education tells school officials to ignore Federal Title IX guidelines. This clearly isn’t about being a government of laws, it’s about being the Kingdom of Ron DeSantis, and no dissent is tolerated.”
