Photo: DOMINIC GWINN / AFP / Getty Images
(Orlando, FL) - Florida State Attorney General is accusing Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell of negligence for failing to prosecute child sex predators.
AG James Uthmeier is alleging that Worrell is too soft on crime and accuses her of not protecting Floridians, especially kids.
The governor suspended her in 2023 for discouraging assistant state attorneys from seeking mandatory sentences for gun and drug offenses. And Orlando voters re-elected her in 2024.
AG James Uthmeier says Worrell declined to prosecute a case involving a man masturbating in a park in front of children with video evidence.
"We are not going to stand by and allow the state attorney to fail to do her job. This is systematic abuse, and it is gross negligence." Uthmeier says, "She took an oath she's not delivering on that oath, and we are going to step up and do what we can to hold her accountable and protect our citizens."
It's not clear what action will be taken against her now.
Florida Rep. Laurel Lee, a former judge, agrees non-prosecution puts Floridians at risk.
"Every charging decision is a public safety is a public safety decision. It determines whether families are protected or whether danger is being put back out on the streets."
Friday, Today, held a news conference to discuss an increase in road-rage cases.
Rather than talking about road rage, Worrell launched a counterattack against Uthmeier for his accusations. Worrell says she is doing her job, and that Uthmeier has zero prosecutorial experience.
She called him dishonest and said that her office does not have non-prosecution policies on the books.
She said in the case involving the suspect masturbating in front of children at a park, no child saw him and were unaware of what was happening, so her office could not prove the felony exhibition charge.
She also said that no other adult saw the defendant's penis, so the misdemeanor counts could not be proven either.
Worrell agrees, "Public safety comes first, and I will continue to do my job to which I have been elected twice."
She says once again, Republican state leadership is trying to remove her from office because she's a Democrat.