Worrell responds to rumors DeSantis plans to suspend her

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — State Attorney Monique Worrell responded Tuesday to rumors that Gov. Ron DeSantis plans to remove her from office.

The Orange-Osceola State Attorney held a press conference, saying she had been contacted by several media outlets about the rumor. Worrell claimed that she received a phone call Monday night warning her that she would be ousted and naming her replacement.

Worrell would not say who called her or who that replacement would be.

She was replaced by current 9th Judicial Circuit Court Judge Andrew Bain in 2023, when DeSantis suspended her, alleging she failed to “faithfully prosecute crime.”

Worrell won back her office in the 2024 election with nearly 60% of the vote.

She also said she was looking into information shared with her office about the recent Hope Florida scandal.

A Florida grand jury found the DeSantis administration misappropriated $10 million in taxpayer money and the funds were instead used for a political action committee.

Worrell said some of that money may have been spent in her jurisdiction.

“Let me be very clear, in the event of me being removed, it won’t be because we’re not doing our job; it will be because of concerns about what doing our job would look like for people on the other end of that removal,” she said Tuesday.

When asked if she believed the rumor of her suspension was a purposeful distraction from the scandal, Worrell said, “I’m not suggesting it, I’m outright saying it.”

Uthmeier was asked about the rumors at another press conference on Tuesday. He said if those rumors were true, “The governor didn’t let me know.”

Worrell defended her office, arguing conviction rates are high and violent crime is low. She argued that the rumor distracts her team from their work.

“The people who work here did not sign up for politics,” she said.