Florida Police Benevolent Association endorses Suzy Lopez for Hillsborough state attorney
TAMPA, Fla. – The Florida Police Benevolent Association endorsed 13th Judicial Circuit State Attorney Susan “Suzy” Lopez as she runs to keep her seat in 2024.
The Florida Police Benevolent Association is the largest police union in the state.
Rep. Danny Alvarez, R-Hillsborough County, who is general counsel and spokesperson for the association, said backing Lopez is “simple” because she “fights crime and she believes in law and order – period.”
“She promised us as a county, and as a society, that she would do that when she was appointed, and she’s done an incredible job so far,” Alvarez said.
Lopez, who already holds the position, filed to run for the 13th circuit seat in July.
She was previously was appointed by Gov. Ron DeSantis in 2022 to replace former State Attorney Andrew Warren. In October, Warren also filed to run for the seat, according to the Florida Division of Elections.
DeSantis appointed Lopez and suspended Warren, citing neglect of duty and that Warren vowed not to enforce certain abortion laws or potential laws related to sex change operations.
Alvarez said he believes morale is up at the state attorney’s office and police department.
“You can sense it, there’s a spirit of ‘okay, we’re finally able to do our job’ from the police department. You can feel it on the street,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said during Warren’s administration “when crimes were not being prosecuted, or even just the perception of that,” cops were “losing faith” and morale was “very low.”
“What would they risk it all for? Now, they understand they still got to do a job, they still got to do it, but if they go after the bad guy, and they got the evidence, there’s a great chance that they’re gonna get prosecuted to the full extent of the law,” Alvarez said.
Alvarez said “that’s all they [police] can ask for.”
In a Florida’s Voice opinion article, Lopez previously said Warren “didn’t follow the law he swore to uphold.”
“I’m a prosecutor, not a politician, and this office will stay focused on prosecuting criminals, not partisan politics, as long as I’m in charge,” Lopez said in a previous press release.
Lopez leads a team of approximately 300 prosecutors and professional staff in the county, responsible for criminal prosecutions in the circuit, handling around 50,000 cases every year.
Born and raised in Hillsborough County, Lopez is a graduate of H.B. Plant High School. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Middlebury College and law degree from Suffolk University. Lopez worked as an attorney at the Second District Court of Appeal.
In 2005, Lopez became an assistant state attorney in the 13th Judicial Circuit Court. In December 2021, Lopez was appointed to serve as a county court judge.
