Andrew Warren, state attorney who was suspended by DeSantis, runs for reelection

TAMPA, Fla. – Former State Attorney Andrew Warren announced he will now seek reelection to the seat he was suspended from by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022.

“I’m running for re-election!” Warren announced Tuesday. “I’ll never stop fighting for our safety, our freedom, and our democracy. Join us in this fight to build a safer, stronger community.”

In his announcement video, Warren claimed DeSantis “illegally” forced Warren out of office.

Warren said he took DeSantis to court over the suit. Those suits resulted in DeSantis’ suspension being upheld multiple times.

The governor had previously called Warren’s record “troubling” and pointed to a letters he signed promising not to enforce laws related to abortions and saying he would not enforce potential bans on sex change operations for minors.

“Andrew Warren has put himself publicly above the law,” DeSantis said in 2022 at the suspension announcement. “He said it doesn’t matter what the state legislature does in Florida, he’s going to exercise a veto over that.”

“State Attorneys have a duty to prosecute crimes as defined in Florida law, not to pick and choose which laws to enforce based on his personal agenda,” he said.

Warren previously implemented policies of “presumptive non-enforcement,” which DeSantis said is not consistent with the role of a prosecutor.

The move from Warren is a reversal from his January announcement that he would not seek reelection.

The Office of the State Attorney, 13th Judicial Circuit is located in the Hillsborough County area.

“Because the courts have let this illegal political stunt stand, if I ran and won, he could suspend me again for whatever bogus reason he wanted,” Warren said months ago. “And then we’d be right back where we are today, with an illegal, unqualified political appointee installed in the job.”

“I care about the State Attorney’s Office in this community too much to have that cloud of uncertainty hanging over us,” he continued. “So I’ve decided not to run for a position that I’ve won twice, and would win again.”

With his change in plans, he is poised to likely face off against the current officeholder who was appointed by DeSantis in place of Warren – Suzy Lopez, a Republican.

Lopez gained the endorsement of the Florida Police Benevolent Association for the position late last year. She filed her candidacy in July 2023.