ORLANDO, Fla. – After being suspended by Gov. DeSantis in 2023, former Orange-Osceola County State Attorney Monique Worrell will be reinstated after winning the seat again in November.
News 6 caught up with outgoing State Attorney Andrew Bain, who lost to Worrell by 57 percent of the vote, on his final day in office.
“How are you feeling today?” News 6 reporter Stephanie Rodriguez asked.
“It’s a lovely day, you know, so we’re going to continue to do our work today, so I’m happy to see what’s going on,” Bain said.
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In December, News 6 obtained an email Baine sent staff explaining that he would not help with the transition to Worrell’s administration because of the 2023 executive order removing her on accusations of “neglect” and “incompetence,” which has no end date listed.
“I do not feel I can lawfully assist in a transition to an individual whose lawful suspension was affirmed by the Florida Supreme Court,” he wrote.
Later that day, he released the following statement regarding the email that read:
“The state attorney is ready and willing to ensure a smooth transition. The state attorney’s term ends Jan. 6, 2025, and he will no longer be in office. Ms. Worrell’s term will begin Jan. 7, 2025. It is the intent of the state attorney to enforce the will of the people.”
When asked about the transition on Monday, Bain told News 6 that from his perspective, things have gone smoothly.
“It’s been going well, as far as I know,” he said. “[Worrell] still refuses to talk to me, so I don’t know how it’s going for her.”
“Have you reached out to her?” Rodriguez asked.
“We’ve reached out, she’s seen me on multiple occasions and still hasn’t talked to me. So it is what it is,” Bain replied.
In November, Worrell spoke with News 6 Investigator Louis Bolden about her expectations for the process.
“This is a hostile transition if it is to be a transition at all,” she said. “I have to while doing those things also consider the fact that I may never actually make it to the seat that the people elected me to go to.”
News 6 reached out to Worrell for comment and is still waiting to hear back. The governor’s office did not respond to our inquiry about Worrell’s swearing-in.
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