Aramis Ayala

Orange and Osceola County State Attorney Aramis Ayala has introduced a diversion program for people charged with resisting arrest without violence. Ayala said the program will allow her office to focus on prosecuting more serious crimes.

That’s after Ayala announced she won’t seek re-election because of her opposition to the death penalty.

The top prosecutor for Orange and Osceola County cited her opposition to the death penalty as the reason for her decision.

The state attorney’s office announced definitively that no friendly fire took place by police during the 2016 Pulse nightclub shooting Wednesday. However, some — including family members of the victims — remain skeptical about the investigation’s findings.

The state attorney’s office in Orange and Osceola County has begun recommending the release without bail of people charged with non-violent offences. State Attorney Aramis Ayala tells Intersection the overhaul will end the so-called ‘poverty penalty’ that discriminates against those who don’t have the resources to pay.

The Florida Supreme Court has ruled that Gov. Rick Scott has the authority to remove Orange-Osceola State Attorney Aramis Ayala from first-degree murder cases despite her opposition.

A $1.3 million budget cut to the Orange and Osceola state attorney’s office took effect this month. It’s the latest move in a legal rift between state attorney Aramis Ayala and Florida Governor Rick Scott over the death penalty. The money was originally appropriated as special funding to combat human trafficking and domestic violence. Victims’ rights advocates are concerned.

More than $1 Million was cut from the Orange and Osceola County State Attorney’s office budget after prosecutor Aramis Ayala announced she would not seek the death penalty. 90.7’s Renata Sago joins Intersection to talk about what the budget cuts mean to the state attorney’s office, along with Republican state representative Scott Plakon.

The closely watched dispute between Orange-Osceola state attorney Aramis Ayala and Governor Rick Scott over the death penalty made its way to the Florida Supreme Court on Wednesday. Justices will now interpret whether it was legal for Scott to reassign two dozen murder cases from Ayala to another prosecutor.

The dispute between Gov. Rick Scott and Orange-Osceola state attorney Aramis Ayala over the death penalty advances to state Supreme Court Wednesday morning with oral arguments.