Citing ‘cloud of uncertainty’, Tampa’s Andrew Warren won’t seek reelection as state attorney

Andrew Warren won’t run for his old job as state attorney for Hillsborough County because he doesn’t trust Gov. Ron DeSantis not to summarily suspend him from that office, as the governor did in August 2022, Warren announced on Monday.

“I have been planning to run for re-election since the day I was suspended. But the governor has made clear that he does not care about the will of the voters or our democracy, and that he is willing to break state and federal law to keep me from serving as state attorney,” Warren said in a written statement and a video message to his supporters.

Andrew Warren announced on Jan. 8, 2024, that he will not seek reelection as state attorney for Hillsborough County: Source: Screenshot/Warren video

“Because the courts have let his illegal political stunt stand, if I ran and won he could suspend me again for whatever bogus reason he wanted. And then we would be right back where we are today, with an illegal, unqualified political appointee installed in the job,” Warren continued.

“I care about the State Attorney’s Office and this community too much to have that cloud of uncertainty hanging over us. I care too much to have that office remain leaderless — with a political puppet in a position she didn’t earn and isn’t qualified to hold. So, I ‘ve decided not to run for a position that I’ve won twice and would win again.”

The Phoenix has reached out to the governor’s office for comment but hasn’t heard back yet.

Warren opened a campaign account in October in anticipation of a run for his old office but declined at the time to commit to running.

Monday’s statement did not mention his plans now.

Litigation

Warren was serving his second term in August 2022 when DeSantis suspended him for alleged “neglect of duty” and “incompetence” and appointed County Judge Susan Lopez to replace him. DeSantis claimed that Warren had enacted blanket policies against enforcing certain laws, including abortion- and transgender-related statutes.

Warren insisted he had no such blanket policies and would decide each case on its merits. U.S. District Judge Robert Hinkle ruled agreed in a Jan. 20, 2023, ruling, writing that DeSantis acted for his own “political benefit,” seeking to stoke his reputation as a law-and-order governor taking down a progressive prosecutor while preparing to run for president.

“The record includes not a hint of misconduct by Mr. Warren,” Hinkle concluded.

However, Hinkle also concluded he was powerless to reinstate Warren — a finding now under appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit. The Florida Supreme Court also has refused to reinstate Warren.

DeSantis followed up this past August by suspending Orange-Osceola County State Attorney Monique Worrell for allegedly “neglecting her duty to faithfully prosecute crimes in her jurisdiction.” The Florida Supreme Court heard oral arguments in her bid for reinstatement on Dec. 6 but has yet to rule.

‘Broke our democracy’

Warren opened a campaign account in October in anticipation of a run for his old office but declined at the time to commit to running. Monday’s statement did not mention his plans now.

“Ron DeSantis broke our democracy, and it’s too fragile and too important to let him do it again. So, I’ll take one for the team and not run, as I continue to challenge the illegal suspension in court and fight to serve out my term on behalf of the community that elected me,” Warren said.

“The suspension has been hard on my family and me, but it is about so much more than that. It is about having elections that matter, protecting our democracy, and making sure no one — not even the governor — is above the law,” Warren said.

“Donald Trump said he could shoot someone in the middle of Fifth Avenue and get away with it. Ron DeSantis, trying to out-Trump Trump, shot democracy in the middle of our courthouse — and he’s gotten away with it,” he added.

“Every day we made tough decisions, and reasonable people can disagree over some of those choices. But we always did what we thought best for public safety, victims, and justice. We upheld the Constitution even when it was not convenient, and rather than exploiting problems in the system to inflate our conviction rate, we fixed them to maximize public safety. I stood up for what I believed in, our community’s values, and the rule of law,” Warren said.

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This article appears in Jan 4-10, 2024.