Will Gov. DeSantis' removal of Tampa's state attorney Andrew Warren stick? [View all]
TAMPA Ousted Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren is out of a job because of something he said, not something he did.
Gov. Ron DeSantis dropped a bombshell when he removed Warren from office this week for pledging not to pursue certain criminal cases involving abortion and transgender minors. As the conservative Republican governor and the progressive Democratic prosecutor brace for the inevitable battle to come, the Tampa Bay Times asked legal experts to weigh in.
DeSantis order on Thursday said a governors executive responsibility allows him to suspend any state officer who is not subject to impeachment for acts that include neglect of duty and incompetence. Warren has effectively nullified these Florida criminal laws in the 13th Judicial Circuit, thereby eroding the rule of law, encouraging lawlessness, and usurping the exclusive role of the Florida Legislature to define criminal conduct, his order said.
Some experts focused on a specific aspect of the executive order: Though it said Warren neglected his duty and was incompetent because he had signed letters saying he would not enforce laws prohibiting gender-affirming care for minors or limiting abortion, in fact, no such cases have come before him.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/gov-desantis-removal-tampa-state-152000666.html