'No Room' for Prosecutors With a 'Political Agenda': DeSantis Praises Lopez During Swearing-In

Gov. Ron DeSantis lauded Hillsborough County's first-ever female elected State Attorney, Suzy Lopez, at her Tuesday swearing-in two years after he swiftly suspended her predecessor and appointed Lopez to the post.

Lopez, a Republican, tearfully thanked the star-studded conservative room minutes after her investiture ceremony and soon after Gov. DeSantis praised her respect for the "rule of law" juxtaposed against her predecessor, twice-elected Democrat Andrew Warren.

"The job of a prosecutor and the oath of office is to uphold the rule of law, and you're supposed to enforce the law consistently, resolutely, and unapologetically," DeSantis said at the Tampa Office of the State Attorney. "There is no room for prosecutors who come in and pursue a political agenda and elevate that political agenda over the rule of law and holding criminals accountable."

He referred to Warren, whom the Governor suspended in August 2022 for signing two pledges contradicting DeSantis-backed laws. Warren had promised not to enforce Florida's then-15-week abortion ban and swore not to prosecute anyone providing transgender therapies to patients, though that was before Florida passed its ban on transgender procedures for minors.

As Warren protested in court, DeSantis appointed Lopez in his stead. Warren initially said he would not oppose Lopez for his seat in the 2024 election for fear of being suspended again, but when a court found that his suspension was likely unconstitutional, he threw his hat in the ring just one week before the qualifying period ended.

Lopez, assisted financially by Florida's powerful Republican party, raised over $1 million compared to Warren's $600,000. She ended up winning with roughly 53% of the vote compared to Warren's 47%, making her the first-ever woman elected to the Hillsborough post.

On Tuesday, she was sworn in as State Attorney. Florida's first female Attorney General—and the nation's next Attorney General—Pam Bondi, along with current Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody, also attended the investiture ceremony.

Warren was not the only State Attorney DeSantis suspended. In August 2023, he removed Orlando prosecutor and Democrat Monique Worrell from office for allegedly being soft on crime. He appointed Judge Andrew Bain in her stead, and a legal battle ensued.

Worrell campaigned for her old seat during the 2024 election, handily beating Bain by a 15-point margin. She was sworn in Tuesday morning in Orange County.

"Under Suzy, we can say definitively: the inmates are not running the asylum in Hillsborough County," said DeSantis. "The criminals are being held accountable as they should be."