Suspended Hillsborough County State Attorney Andrew Warren is not running for reelection.
Warren made the announcement in a press release and video Monday morning. He said Gov. Ron DeSantis damaged democracy when he suspended him in August 2022.
“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,” he said.
Warren, who was elected twice as state attorney, said the governor would suspend him again if he ran and won this year.
“I have been planning to run for reelection 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,” he said.
DeSantis suspended Warren after he signed a letter refusing to enforce state laws on abortion and transgender health care. The governor appointed Susan Lopez, who was a Hillsborough County court judge at the time, as his replacement.
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In January 2023, a federal judge ruled that DeSantis was wrong to suspend Warren, but the U.S. Constitution prohibited the court from reinstating him. Warren appealed the case, and a ruling is still pending.
The Florida Supreme Court refused to reinstate Warren in June 2023, claiming he waited too long to file a petition.
In his video, Warren blamed the courts for allowing DeSantis to continue with the suspension.
“Because the courts have let this illegal political stunt stand, if I ran and won, he could suspend me again for whatever reason he wanted. And then we would be right back where we are today, with an illegal, unqualified political appointee installed in the job,” he said.
“I care about the state attorney’s office and this community too much to have that cloud of uncertainty hanging over us. So I’ve decided not run for a position that I’ve won twice and would win again.”
Lopez is running to keep the state attorney position this year. She released a statement Monday in response to Warren’s announcement.
“As your State Attorney, I remain focused on keeping Hillsborough safe. I will continue to fight for crime victims and their families. I will continue to work hand-in-hand with law enforcement. The people of Hillsborough County deserve a State Attorney who will follow and uphold the law. That is the kind of State Attorney I have been and will continue to be,” Lopez said in the statement.
