Hillsborough State Attorney candidates trade barbs at Tampa luncheon

TAMPA - The candidates for Hillsborough County State Attorney faced off in a forum hosted by the Tampa Tiger Bay Club during a luncheon in Ybor City.

Andrew Warren is hoping to win the office back after being suspended in 2022 by Gov. Ron DeSantis.

"I'm Andrew Warren and I am still the duly elected state attorney in Hillsborough County," Warren said.

RELATED: Suspended Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren confident he will win third term

State Attorney Suzy Lopez is running to win the office in her own right, after being appointed by the governor as Warren's replacement.

"When I became the state attorney, it was my mission to clean up the messes left by my predecessor."

Lopez and Warren sparred over how best to respond to protests, whether abortions after six weeks can be prosecuted, and which of them is better at lowering crime.

Left: Andrew Warren. Right: Suzy Lopez.

They each said they had done a better job, but cited different sources.

"Last year it was down 8% year to date," said Lopez. "That's a statistic that came from the sheriff."

Warren said crime was down 32 percent during the five years he ran the office.

READ: Tampa police chief shares public safety plan as violent crime concerns grow

"Those are the statistics from the state of Florida," he said, "making Hillsborough the safest large county."

But the real battle was over Warren's suspension. Citing his statements about his views on new abortion laws and supposed lack of vigor in prosecuting offenders who turned out to be violent, Lopez said Warren was derelict in duty.

"In failing to prosecute entire categories of crime and signing a pledge that he would not prosecute certain categories of crime, you may as well just take that oath and, quite frankly, wipe a dog's rear end with it," said Lopez.

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Warren hit Lopez, though, for not giving up her August 2022 appointment from Gov. DeSantis, especially once courts ruled that Warren was wrongly suspended, but that judges couldn't reinstate him.

"The right thing to do would have been to stand up for democracy in our county," Warren said. "But Ms. Lopez didn't do that. Instead, she chose to do what's right for Ms. Lopez by staying in office. And the reason why is because, with all the talk aside, she does not want to follow the law, but instead she follows the governor."

There is a caveat though, and that is that Warren is waging a primary against Tampa criminal defense attorney Elizabeth Martinez-Strauss.

"I think Susie Lopez really wants to be a judge. I think Andrew Warren would be a great governor, and I think I'd be a great state attorney," she said. "I think we should end the drama."

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Warren's legal battle against DeSantis is ongoing, with his hope to be reinstated even before this term ends.

The governor has asked the full appeals court to overrule a three-judge panel that said Warren was improperly removed.

The primary between Warren and Strauss will take place in August with the winner slated to face Lopez in November.

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