Florida Senate leaders tell members: Don't comment on Worrell suspension

When it comes to Gov. Ron DeSantis’ suspensions of elected officials, Democratic senators are in a bind. Do they stay silent, as leadership wants them to do, or do they speak out? The question arose again Wednesday after DeSantis suspended Democratic Orange-Osceola State Attorney Monique Worrell, accusing her of being too soft on hard crime, which she denied. 

Executive suspensions wind up in the Florida Senate, where members eventually vote to remove or reinstate the official in question – if the person doesn’t resign first. Senate President Kathleen Passidomo, a Naples Republican, issued a memo to all members after Worrell’s suspension was made public. “Since we are tasked by Florida’s Constitution to sit in judgment of the merits of a suspension, in my view, senators should refrain from speaking publicly about the merits or substance of any executive suspension,” she wrote.

Senate Democratic Leader-designate Jason Pizzo agreed: “Public statements do nothing for the process. The only official record is on the Senate floor, and the rules are clear that we should not comment,” he told City & State. But some in his caucus didn’t agree. 

The first – Sen. Bobby Powell, a West Palm Beach Democrat – put out a press release saying he “condemned” Worrell’s “abrupt removal … as an act … by a desperate candidate.” Later in the day, Democratic state Sens. Tracie Davis and Vic Torres also issued statements decrying the suspension. “The governor is distracted by his flailing political ambitions outside of the state,” said Torres, who also put out a version in Spanish.