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RECAP: State Attorney Candidate Forum

Staff | Published on 9/16/2024

Case for the Prosecution - State Attorney Forum

September's Hot Topics hoped to help voters decide one of the most closely watched elections in Central Florida.  
Panelists included:

  • Andrew Bain, FL State Attorney
  • Monique Worrell, former FL State Attorney
  • Moderator Fred Lauten, former chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit
Here's a collection of the various media coverage of the event. 







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PANEL BIOGRAPHIES
PANEL BIOGRAPHIES

Bio provided by candidate:

State Attorney Andrew A. Bain serves as the chief prosecutor for the Ninth Judicial Circuit in Florida, representing Orange and Osceola counties. Appointed by Governor Ron DeSantis in August 2023, he is dedicated to creating a safer community by holding violent offenders accountable and prosecuting crimes fairly.

 

With a background rooted in community service and a passion for equity, Bain aims to bridge the gap between law enforcement and the community while providing transparent and effective administration within the criminal justice system.

 

Bain was born in Fort Lauderdale and is the son of a pastor and grew up with a strong sense of duty to serve others. He graduated from Blanche Ely High School in Pompano Beach and played football at the University of Miami. He majored in psychology and African American studies and graduated with honors. He later earned his law degree from Florida A&M University College of Law in 2013.

 

Bain served as an assistant state attorney in the Ninth Judicial Circuit for seven years before being appointed as a judge by Governor Ron DeSantis in June 2020. Orange County residents elected him to

the judgeship in 2022.

 

In his current role, State Attorney Bain aims to restore public safety, strengthen community relationships, support the well-being of victims and proactively collaborate with local organizations to

deter and prevent crime.


Bio provided by candidate:

As state attorney, Monique Worrell’s tenure has been marked by bold initiatives, visionary leadership and an unwavering commitment to equity.

 

Worrell is a former public defender and Democrat who was elected state attorney for the Ninth Judicial Circuit Court of Florida, serving from 2021 to August 2023. She is running again in 2024 to regain her position.

 

Worrell earned her law degree from the University of Florida. She worked as assistant public defender and private criminal defense lawyer. She also taught at the University of Florida law

school for 16 years and served as the founding director of its criminal justice center.

 

She was hired in 2018 by state attorney Aramis Ayala as the director of the conviction integrity unit. In 2019, she became the chief legal officer of Reform Alliance, and she returned to the conviction integrity unit in 2020. When she was ran for state attorney and was elected, Worrell became the second African-American elected as state attorney in Florida and the first of Caribbean descent.

 

In August 2023, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis suspended her from office and appointed Orange County Judge Andrew Bain to replace her. DeSantis accused Worrell of "neglect of duty and incompetence,” which Worrell denied and called it a “political hit job” to benefit DeSantis’ presidential campaign.


Bio provided by panelist:

Fred J. Lauten is a mediator in the Upchurch Watson White & Max Mediation Group. He served as a judge in the Ninth Judicial Circuit for 26 years and as chief judge of the circuit for the last five of those years. During his career on the bench he sat in every division of the county court and in various divisions of the circuit court. Judge Lauten presided over the Ninth Circuit’s Business Court division from 2007 until 2012.

 

As a judge, Lauten presided over a wide variety of cases including complex civil, criminal, probate, guardian and mental health cases. Prior to serving as chief judge, he served as administrative judge in the civil and criminal divisions. Fred also has been an associate judge on the Fifth District Court of Appeal.

 

Fred had significant involvement in the statewide judicial system. He served as dean of the Florida Judicial College, the college that teaches all new judges in the state, from 2006 to 2010. Fred served as the education committee chair of the Conference of Circuit Court Judges for four years and also served as a Florida Supreme Court mentor for new judges. Fred has been appointed by the Florida Supreme Court to numerous statewide committees including the Judicial Management Council, the Trial Court Budget Committee and as Chair of the Working Interdisciplinary Committee on Guardianship Stakeholders.

 

Fred received numerous awards for his service on the bench including the 2016 American Board of Trial Advocates Trial Judge of the year, the 2018 James G. Glazebrook Jurist of the year and the 2018 Mental Health Association’s Community Hero Award.

 

• He graduated with a bachelor of arts degree from Rollins College and a law degree from Villanova University and earned an MBA from Rollins’ Crummer School of Business.


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REVIEW
REVIEW
Case for the Prosecution: State Attorney Forum
By Judi Hayes
Tense exchanges between the two candidates for Ninth Judicial Circuit State Attorney
marked the League of Women Voters of Orange County Sept. 11 Hot Topics forum. The
race is one of the most closely watched elections in Central Florida and recently
sparked allegations of an elections plot in a lawsuit filed by a former Republican
candidate.
Former State Attorney Monique Worrell, a Democrat, and current State Attorney Andrew
Bain, a nonpartisan candidate, faced each other during the forum, which was
moderated by Fred Lauten, former chief judge of the Ninth Judicial Circuit. Bain was
appointed to the position by Gov. Ron DeSantis after the governor removed Worrell
from office, saying she was incompetent. 
In a surprising turn of events, Seth Hyman, a Republican candidate, abruptly withdrew
from the race after winning the primary two weeks earlier. That has prompted a lawsuit
filed by the Republican candidate who lost to Hyman in the primary.
Bain and Worrell were asked about allegations by attorney Tom Feiter that Hyman was
promised a judicial appointment and that they both were pressured to drop out of the
race by Republicans associated with DeSantis. Feiter filed a lawsuit on Sept. 10,
accusing Bain of taking part in a scheme to influence the election by having Hyman, an
accused “ghost candidate,” leave the race. Hyman has denied that he was promised
anything and said that he wanted to consolidate the Republican vote for Bain.
At the LWVOC’s forum, Worrell pointed out that only her opponent, Bain, stands to
benefit from any election interference and called on voters to support her. Bain said the
case should be investigated by the “elections police,” a newly created Office of Election
Crimes and Security in the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
Worrell pointed out that the elections police seem to be busy knocking on doors of
voters who signed petitions to get Amendment 4 on the ballot, a separate issue with the
special unit that arose recently. The amendment would restore abortion rights in Florida.
Worrell discussed her background as a lawyer and a criminal law professor. She
founded a conviction integrity unit and worked on bail reform before being elected state
attorney in 2020. She discussed the need to be tough and smart on crime, outlining her
focus on bringing down the most violent offenders and working on gun violence
prevention. She also stressed the importance of preserving democracy and its place in
this race. 
Bain has served as an Orange County judge and was a prosecutor in the state
attorney’s office. He touted his success in making our communities safer and reducing
homicide numbers. He stated that he wants to hire more staff and stressed the need to
unify as a community. 

Lauten asked about the issue of plea bargaining — what is appropriate, how do we
ensure fairness and what impact does a plea bargain have on future cases. Worrell said
she implemented the current procedures being used and worked to ensure consistency.
Looking at root causes, how to individually address outcomes and how to remove
subjectivity from individual state attorneys ensures consistent outcomes, she said.
Juvenile cases require additional thoughtful analysis, she said. 
Bain criticized Worrell for just talking about improvements in the office and not actually
implementing policies and procedures. 
Lauten asked Bain about his appointment, and what standard should be employed by
the governor in replacing a duly elected official. Bain said there should have been a trial
in the Florida Senate and said Worrell’s removal was “just.”
Worrell seized the opportunity to make plain the circumstances of her removal — it
should be a very high burden for one person to overturn the will of 497,000 voters, she
said. It was historically unprecedented; she had not committed a crime, and she was not
incapable of performing her duties. Worrell said voters can decide on Nov. 5 whether
her removal was fair or just.
The candidates also discussed bond and pretrial release, as an initial approach. The
governor had complained that in her discretion, Worrell had waived mandatory minimum
sentences at an unusually high rate. She pointed out that the allegation was vague and
unproven and that it was clearly within her discretion as the elected state attorney. The
moderator asked how many motions for pretrial detention that Bain has filed since he
was appointed, and he did not know. 
Bain was asked about the death penalty: Is it fairly applied in Florida, and when would
you apply it? He cited multiple aggravating factors as a qualifier. Worrell discussed her
capital case review panel that reviewed every case in which the death penalty was
sought, and that she was the ultimate decision maker. She estimated that she approved
maybe three or four cases during her tenure. She went on to discuss the percentage of
minorities among exonerations, and her concerns about how that impacted fairness.
“Florida gets it wrong a lot,” she said. 
Lauten asked about the prosecutor’s role to seek justice balanced with supporting law
enforcement to ensure community safety. Bain said the state attorney should talk to law
enforcement like any human being. Worrell brought up her concern that historically, the
balance had tipped in favor of not holding law enforcement accountable. The lack of
accountability concerned her. Bain asked her who was part of the accountability unit
because he couldn’t find any, and Worrell told him he had fired them all. She pointed out
that he was not present during her administration and ought not to opine about what
happened.

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Slideshow
Sept 2024 Hot Topics: State Attorney Candidate Forum