DeSantis, a Republican who is courting conservatives as part of an expected 2024 presidential bid, also disagreed with Democrat Andrew Warren’s stance that he would not enforce laws restricting gender-affirming care for transgender youth. DeSantis said Warren, who serves as the top district attorney for Florida’s 13th Judicial Circuit in Tampa, acted as if he were above the law by promising to use his discretion to avoid certain types of criminal cases. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “State’s Attorneys have a duty to prosecute crimes as defined in Florida law, not choose which laws to enforce based on his personal agenda,” DeSantis said in a statement. Warren, a frequent critic of the governor, said De Sandys’ order “spits in the face” of voters who had elected Warren twice. De Santis is seeking re-election to a second term as governor in November. “Today’s political stunt is an illegal overreach that continues a dangerous pattern of Ron DeSandis using his office to advance his own political ambitions,” Warren tweeted. After the U.S. Supreme Court in June struck down federal constitutional protections for abortion, Warren joined attorneys across the country in signing a letter saying they would not use their offices to criminalize reproductive health decisions. Florida law prohibits abortion after 15 weeks of pregnancy. “Warren’s stated refusal to prosecute abortion cases alone is sufficient to justify his suspension and removal for dereliction of duty and incompetence,” the executive order states. DeSantis barred Warren from performing any official “act, duty or function of public office.” But Warren defied the governor hours later, holding a news conference to announce that two 1983 murders had been solved as part of a cold case investigation. “I’m still the legally elected district attorney of Hillsborough County, and the governor signing something with a pen or a crayon doesn’t change that,” Warren said, adding that he believed the order was unconstitutional. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by Reuters staff. Editing by Colleen Jenkins and Daniel Wallis Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
