Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) fired Hillsborough County State’s Attorney Andrew Warren on Thursday for “neglect of duty” after the prosecutor refused to enforce bans on abortions and transgender surgeries.
“When you flagrantly violate your oath, when you place yourself above the law, you have breached your duty, you have neglected your duty and you have shown a lack of competence to be able to fulfill those duties,” DeSantis said at a press conference at the county sheriff’s office.
“And so today we are removing State Attorney Andrew Warren effective immediately.”
Warren, a Democrat, was first elected in 2016 when he defeated a Republican incumbent and has been an open vote for criminal justice reform.
DeSantis cited Warren’s signing of a letter saying he would not impose “bans on sex-reassignment surgery on minors” and another saying he would not impose “any laws related to the protection of the right of life,” as evidence that the state attorney has absconded from office as a state prosecutor.
“It’s not for him to put himself above this and say he’s not going to enforce the laws,” DeSantis said, accusing Warren of acting as if he had “veto power” over the state legislature.
DeSantis said his power to remove a state official stems from Article IV, Section 7 of the Florida state constitution, which states that “the governor may remove from office … any county official for a crime in office, abuse of office, neglect of duties, drunkenness, incompetence, permanent inability to perform official duties or commission of a crime and may hold the position by arrangement for the period of suspension.”
The governor announced he would replace Warren with former judge Susan Lopez.
“I have great respect for our state laws and understand the important role the state attorney plays in keeping our community safe and enforcing our laws,” Lopez said in a statement.
“I want to thank the governor for his vote of confidence in me and I promise that I will faithfully fulfill the duties of this office.”
DeSantis highlighted Warren’s rejection of the state’s new law banning abortions after 3.5 months, saying the “dismemberment procedure” often used for abortions after that period is “truly inhumane.”
He also criticized the former state attorney’s opposition to laws banning transgender surgeries on minors, which he characterized as “disfiguring to young children.”
“You know, they use these euphemisms, but what it is is they’re literally cutting off little children’s private parts, and that’s wrong,” DeSantis said.
He continued: “When you uphold the rule of law, you protect the most vulnerable in our society, that’s why we have the rule of law.”
The governor’s speech was followed by remarks from Hillsborough Sheriff Chad Chronister (right), Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd, Pasco County Sheriff Chris Nocco (right), Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody (right), former Tampa Police Chief Brian Duggan and resp. Mike Beltran (R), whose jurisdiction includes part of Hillsborough County.
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Chronister followed DeSantis’ speech by saying he did not consider the move to remove Warren to be “political” but rather a matter of law and order.
“There are no victims Republicans and Democrats, there are only victims,” Chronister said.
This story was updated at 12:16 p.m
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