HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. — Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Susan "Suzy" Lopez as Hillsborough State Attorney after suspending Andrew Warren last year. Now, she's running to keep the job in 2024.
“The community needs to know that their State Attorney is only interested in finding justice and making certain those guilty of committing crimes pay their debt to our community. Victims of crime know Hillsborough County is safer today than it used to be in just under one year,” Lopez said Wednesday in a news release announcing her filing to stand election.
"Just under one year" ago is when DeSantis made the controversial decision to oust Warren from his elected position and appoint then Hillsborough County Judge Suzy Lopez to the role.
DeSantis accused Warren of refusing to enforce certain Florida laws, specifically related to issues of abortion and care for transgender youth. Warren called the governor's move a "political stunt" and has been fighting in the court system to get his job back.
Warren first challenged DeSantis in federal court where a judge ruled that the governor did violate Warren's First Amendment rights by suspending him but said the court didn't have the power to reinstate him.
He brought the case to state court next, but the Florida Supreme Court dismissed it, saying Warren waited too long before filing.
Warren has previously criticized Lopez and the approach she brings to the office.
“We have had tremendous success making our community safer and our system better,” Warren said in a statement. “I’m confident our community doesn’t want to go backwards with someone who supports biking while Black and is open to prosecuting interracial marriage as a crime.”
A Tampa native, Lopez previously served as a county court judge and assistant state attorney. She currently leads a team of approximately 300 prosecutors and staff in Hillsborough County.
The state attorney's office is responsible for all criminal prosecutions in the 13th Judicial Circuit, handling about 50,000 cases every year.