Florida’s Andrew Bain Will ‘Smoothly’ Welcome Monique Worrell In
Florida’s Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney Andrew Bain has stepped back on his comments alleging he won’t help newly elected attorney Monique Worrell smoothly transition into office, Florida’s Voice reports.
In a shift of tone, Bain says he and his team will welcome Worrell into office as he transitions out on Jan. 6 and she enters on Jan. 7. “It is my intention to provide any assistance I can to ensure the office continues to operate smoothly for the benefit of our community during this transition,” he said.
“It is also my expectation that every member of the office will do the same.”
Days prior, the Gov. Ron DeSantis-appointee sent an email titled “The Future is Uncertain,” pushing a narrative that he wouldn’t help with the transition since Worrell was once suspended by the Republican governor. “While I accept the results of the election and wish to do everything I can to ensure the Office is successful going forward, I do not yet feel I can assist her in that transition because of the clear [suspension of] Ms. Worrell pursuant to Article IV, Section 7 of the Florida Constitution,” Bain wrote.
He claimed that neither the executive order nor the state Constitution provided a time limit on the Democrat’s suspension. “I have not yet received an order from the governor rescinding [the executive order], and Ms. Worrell never requested a Senate hearing. Without one of these things, I do not feel I can lawfully assist in a transition to an individual whose lawful suspension was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court,” Bain said.
“We are living through an unprecedented legal event without clear answers,” he wrote. “While I will immediately comply with an order of the Governor rescinding his prior executive order, I do not know if or when that will come.”
Worrell caught wind of Bain’s statements and labeled them as a “betrayal of democratic principles,” arguing the executive order expired with the 2024 election. “No executive order, no political maneuver, and certainly no personal grievance can override the will of the people,” Worrell said in a statement, according to the Associated Press.
“Any delay in the transition process is a direct affront to the very people this office serves.”
Worrell was re-elected to the post over Bain in November 2024 after being the second elected state prosecutor to be suspended by DeSantis. In August 2022, DeSantis suspended Tampa-area prosecutor Andrew Warren after Warren vowed that he wouldn’t bring charges under Florida’s new 15-week abortion ban.
Before Worrell’s re-election, DeSantis’ office listed her suspension surrounding claims of the prosecutor avoiding minimum mandatory sentencing for gun crimes and drug trafficking offenses. She also was accused of limiting child pornography charges and ignoring “valid and applicable” sentencing enhancements.
RELATED CONTENT: Jasmine Crockett Flames Marjorie Taylor Greene On Fire After Body-Shaming Remarks On The House Floor
