DeSantis suspends Florida state attorney who refused to enforce abortion ban

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, a Republican, suspended a state attorney this week. The governor said Andrew Warren isn’t doing his job.

Warren, a Democrat, was elected as the state attorney in Hillsborough County in 2016. He was re-elected in 2020, beating out his Republican challenger by 46,000 votes.

Warren is one of almost 100 district attorneys, state attorneys general and other elected prosecutors who signed a letter pledging not to use their offices to pursue criminal cases against seekers or providers of abortions or gender transition treatments.

Warren also contends Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban is unconstitutional.

These positions fly directly in DeSantis’ face, who is running for re-election in Florida and also trying to bolster his national image ahead of an all but inevitable presidential run in 2024.

At a Thursday press conference in front of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, Gov. DeSantis laid out his reasoning for suspending the twice elected state attorney.

“We don’t elect people in one part of the state to have veto power over what the entire state decides on these important issues,” DeSantis said. “We are not going to allow this pathogen that’s been around the country of ignoring the law. We are not going to let that get a foothold in the state of Florida. We are going to make sure our laws are enforced, and that no individual prosecutor puts himself above the law.”

Under Florida’s state constitution, the governor does have the authority to remove any county officer for several reasons, among them “neglect of duty.”

Andrew Warren, though, alleged the governor is trying to overthrow democracy in Hillsborough County.

“Just based on the governor’s track record of unconstitutional orders, I have a feeling this will be just as unconstitutional as the 15-week ban abortion, the anti-protest law and a dozen other things the governor has signed,” Warren said.