An ongoing feud is raising questions about just how much power the governor has to decide who holds elected office in Central Florida.
There’s renewed speculation about whether Governor Ron DeSantis could again suspend State Attorney Monique Worrell. She was elected in 2020, suspended by Governor DeSantis in 2023 for dereliction of duty, and elected again by voters in 2024. Earlier this month, the State Attorney for Orange and Osceola said she got a phone call from someone telling her that her removal was imminent. At a press conference in early September, she responded to what she called a credible rumor about possibly being suspended.
“I’ve heard rumors that the governor once again wants to interfere with the will of the people and remove me from office twice elected by an overwhelming majority,” she said.
There has been no announcement from the governor that State Attorney Worrell will be suspended for a second time. Her situation raises broader questions about how the governor can shape government through appointments.
Aubrey Jewett, associate director of the School of Politics Security and International Affairs at UCF, says the way DeSantis has used that power is different compared to previous Florida governors. In addition to Worrell, DeSantis has previously removed and appointed a state attorney in the Tampa-Hillsborough region and school board members in the Palm Beach area.
“In a number of these instances, he was getting rid of elected Democrats or people who were maybe more progressive and replacing them with more conservative or Republican allies, so that's certainly one difference,” Jewett said.
Jewett says it’s expected that governors would appoint allies to positions and boards.
“What are you going to choose, your enemies?” he said.
Another distinction, according to Jewett, is the sheer number of opportunities that Governor DeSantis has had to make high-profile statewide appointments. He appointed U.S. Senator Ashley Moody, Chief Financial Officer Blaise Ingoglia, and Attorney General James Uthmeier.
Voters eventually get a say
In many of these statewide positions, the person appointed to the office will have to run for election to keep the job. Being appointed can give them a competitive edge in those races. Take for example, Uthmeier who was DeSantis’s chief of staff prior to being appointed attorney general.
“He was a very influential guy, but most voters don't know who chiefs of staff are. Those are people that work behind the scenes,” Jewett explained.
As attorney general, Uthmeier is regularly in front of potential voters generating headlines.
On Thursday, he announced a lawsuit against Netflix alleging the tech company deceived its customers and collected data from minors to get children hooked on the streaming service. In May, he subpoenaed the NFL over its policy requiring teams to interview minority candidates for head coach and executive positions.
“That gets him a lot of free publicity,” said Jewett.
After being appointed chief financial officer, Blaise Ingoglia became a prominent face of Florida’s DOGE effort, traveling the state to highlight what he described as wasteful local government spending.
State Supreme Court appointments
DeSantis has been able to appoint six out of seven justices to the Florida Supreme Court though he’s not able to handpick just anyone. There’s a screening process, and a judicial nominating commission sends the governor a list of candidates to choose from.
“One important thing to understand about Florida's appointment system is that it has been changed in recent decades to give the governor more power in the appointment process,” said Douglas Keith, deputy director of the Judiciary Program at the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law.
Keith says that matters because the vast majority of all cases filed are filed in state courts, not federal.
“They are also the ones who are tasked with ensuring that the other branches of government do not exceed their authority, these state court judges have tremendous power to interpret the law in their states” he said.
The governor’s influence there could resonate for decades, long after his term in office ends.
