Tallahassee - Thursday August 18, 2022: The Florida Senate has temporarily halted the process of considering the removal from office of suspended Tampa State Prosecutor Andrew Warren.
The Florida Constitution outlines a process in which the governor can suspend an elected official for very specific and limited reasons, then the Florida Senate reviews the suspension and determines whether to remove or reinstate the official. Senate rules dictate that this process be placed on hold while any lawsuit challenging the suspension is ongoing.
Florida Senate President Wilton Simpson has sent letters to Warren and all state senators advising them of his decision.
His letter refers to the executive order DeSantis issued on August 4 to suspend Warren. Simpson, in part, wrote - “I have directed that any Senate proceedings regarding Executive Order of Suspension 22-176 be held in abeyance until a final determination in this pending litigation has been rendered.”
According to a news release from Warren's public affairs office, Senate President Simpson acted "within 12 hours" after Warren filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday challenging the Governor's decision to suspended him from office.
Attorneys for Warren filed suit Wednesday morning in the U. S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida. The case was assigned to Judge Robert Hinkle. Gov. DeSantis, through his attorneys, has accepted service of the lawsuit.
The lawsuit makes two central claims—that DeSantis’ act violated Warren’s right to free speech under the U.S. Constitution and exceeded DeSantis’ authority as governor under Florida law
It asks a judge to compel the governor to rescind his illegal order, restore Warren to office and prohibit DeSantis from taking similar illegal actions against Warren in the future.