TAMPA, Fla. — The race for Hillsborough's top prosecutor is between incumbent Suzy Lopez and ousted former state attorney Andrew Warren.
This race is particularly interesting as Lopez is facing off with Warren who held the position for six years before he was removed by Gov. Ron DeSantis. Lopez took his place when DeSantis appointed her.
Early voting is already underway in the Tampa Bay area and over 1.6 million people have voted by mail or early so far.
As Election Day looms closer, here's what you need to know about the candidates.
Suzy Lopez
Who is she: Lopez was appointed State Attorney by DeSantis in 2022 as Hillsborough's first female state attorney. Before that, she was an attorney for the Second District Court of Appeal in Tampa, the assistant state attorney and was a judge in Hillsborough County. She was born and raised in Hillsborough County and went to Middlebury College. She earned her law degree from Suffolk University.
She also serves on the Executive Council of Safe and Sound Hillsborough and is a member of the Junior League of Tampa.
What has she done: Lopez has presented herself as a tough-minded prosecutor who sticks to Florida laws.
At a previous debate between the two candidates, Lopez said gun violence is partially important to her. She said diversion can be appropriate for minor crimes but juveniles should know they will be tried as adults if they "make the adult decision to pick up a firearm."
She stressed that the role of the state attorney is to "put bad guys behind bars" and to "not be a social worker."
Lopez said she goes to every crime scene involving a death and meets with victim's families as she believes "crime victims advocacy should always remain in the forefront."
She previously told 10 Tampa Bay that she's the most qualified because she's a career prosecutor.
"I am the only state attorney in over two decades to go on the record in a courtroom for the state of Florida. I'm the only person in this race who's ever tried a case in criminal court on behalf of the people of Hillsborough County," she said.
Andrew Warren
Who is he: Warren was elected in 2016 and re-elected in 2020 as state attorney. Before that, he was a federal prosecutor with the U.S. Department of Justice. He is originally from Gainesville and studied at Brandeis University and Columbia University.
In 2022, DeSantis suspended him on allegations of "neglect of duty" and "incompetence" after Warren signed a pledge not to prosecute alleged crimes arising from abortion or transgender care. DeSantis suspended him over policies against prosecuting certain low-level, non-violent crimes.
Warren challenged the suspension in court and two courts ruled DeSantis violated Warren's freedom of speech. The decision of whether to reinstate him is still in limbo as the lower court will decide that.
What has he done: During his time in office, Warren claimed crime went down 32%, according to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. This is true but crime has been on a downward trend for years.
He created a Conviction Review Unit to prevent, identify and fix wrongful convictions. This program helped Robert Duboise get exonerated after he spent 37 years behind bars for a murder and rape he did not commit.
At a previous debate, Warren said youth crime is a priority in his campaign. He emphasized the need for policy and diversion programs for lower-level offenses.
