ORLANDO, Fla. — Voters in Central Florida selected former State Attorney Monique Worrell over current State Attorney Andrew Bain. 

What You Need To Know

  • State Attorney-Elect Monique Worrell earned 57% of support from voters in Central Florida

  • Incumbent State Attorney Andrew Bain will finish his term, and then Worrell will take his seat as the chief prosecutor in Orange and Osceola county

“Central Florida, we’ve got work to do,” Worrell said during her acceptance speech Tuesday.

Bain was selected by Gov. Ron DeSantis after he removed Worrell in 2023. Bain will finish his term and then Worrell will take his seat as the chief prosecutor in Orange and Osceola county.

Worrell earned the support of 57% of voters in Central Florida.

Since the governor removed her from office, it’s uncertain if he plans to do so again after her reelection.

“Orange County voters have now put her back into office over his own hand-picked person, that suggests that they disagree with the governor,” said Aubrey Jewett, political science professor at UCF.

Jewett said this win is vindication for Worrell.

Jewett says, historically, governors have removed people in Florida politics, but this is a unique circumstance.

“It usually wasn’t just for a policy disagreement. It almost always was when there were criminal charges being floated or some clear ethical violation,” he said.

Looking ahead, Jewett said the changes in leadership can pose a challenge to sheriff’s offices, police departments and employees at the state attorney’s office, who are mostly trying to work together.

“This does put the whole criminal justice system in Orange and Osceola in a little bit of a tough bind,” he said. “Then also, not just in leadership, but there was a number of changes in high-ranking officials in the state attorney’s office, now there’s going to be more turnover that does make it a little more difficult for everyone to smoothly do their jobs.”

With 49 years of law enforcement experience, Kevin Beary, a now retired Orange County Sheriff who served for 16 years as the sheriff, says the voters spoke in Orange and Osceola County.

“But I will tell you that law enforcement is very concerned about what’s going to happen,” he said. “It’s going to be very hard for some of those people to take a stand, because they have to work with her on a daily basis.”

Beary said he expects the governor’s office to watch Worrell’s next steps closely.

Experts say it’s going to be key for all parties to do their best to get on the same page.

“Hopefully, they will find a way to work together, despite some concerns and differences in the past,” said Jewett.

The Office of the Governor did not return a request for comment as of press time.