TAMPA, Fla. – In a video released Tuesday morning, State Attorney Andrew Warren announces he will seek re-election to a third term as State Attorney for Hillsborough County, Florida. Warren, a Democrat, points to his proven record of reduced crime, increased public safety, and improvements to the justice system as he declares his candidacy in the race, which will appear on the November 2024 general election ballot.

“Today, I’m running for election as State Attorney to serve the people—all the people—of Hillsborough County. I’m running to keep our neighborhoods safe. I’m running to fight for victims and to make our criminal justice system better,” Warren declares in the video.

Warren has twice been elected by Hillsborough County voters, in 2016 and 2020.

During his first 5 1/2 years in office, before he was illegally suspended by Gov. Ron DeSantis, Warren worked with prosecutors, law enforcement, and community partners to:

· Reduce crime in Hillsborough County by more than 30%

· Make Hillsborough the safest large county in Florida, according to state statistics

· Invest in safety through prevention and rehabilitation, and by addressing mental health and addiction

· Target child predators, convicting an average of one predator every four days the courthouse was open

· Create and expand civil citation programs, disrupting the school-to-prison pipeline

· Establish a Community Council and a Racial Justice Work Group

· Become a national leader in transparency, launching a groundbreaking public Data Dashboard

· Reduce the criminalization of poverty

· Pursue drunk drivers with aggressive sanctions to reduce repeat offenses

· Adopt the Disarming Domestic Abusers policy to protect victims of domestic violence

A native Floridian and former federal prosecutor, Warren and his wife Alex are parents of three children—their daughters Elliot and Lucy, and their late son Zack.

The announcement video is now live on Warren’s Facebook and X/Twitter pages. It encourages supporters to visit Warren’s website, AndrewWarrenFL.com, to sign up for updates or contribute to the campaign.

While outlining his successes in office, Warren also highlights the suspension that installed an unelected political appointee into his position last year—an appointment that is illegitimate, according to prominent Florida legal experts, including a former Attorney General and Supreme Court Justice.

“On August 4, 2022, Ron DeSantis threw out your vote. He illegally forced me from office under armed guard,” Warren says in the video. “My late son. My beautiful daughters. My strong wife. They inspire me to serve others—to do good. That’s why I took DeSantis to court.”

As an image in the video quotes federal Judge Robert Hinkle’s January 20, 2023 ruling that Warren “was diligently and competently performing the job he was elected to perform,” Warren says, “The judge ruled that I did my job and the suspension was unconstitutional. But our fight is not over”—referring to Judge Hinkle’s conclusion that he lacked the authority to reinstate Warren. On January 11, 2024, the appellate court affirmed Judge Hinkle’s findings regarding the constitutional violation while clearly stating that Judge Hinkle has the authority to reinstate Warren.

Even as Warren awaits reinstatement, his announcement Tuesday affirms that in addition to winning in court, Warren intends to be back on the ballot so voters can emphatically make it clear that they decide who represents them—not a governor who broke the law and abused his power for a political stunt.

“I’m running to protect our values, for a woman’s right to choose, for a fair and just system, and—above all—for freedom and democracy,” Warren says. “I’m running to do what’s right. It’s what I’ve always done, as a former federal prosecutor, as a father, and as your State Attorney. I’m Andrew Warren, and together, it’s time we reclaim the future of this community—our community. Join us in this fight.”

ORLANDO, Fla. – Yesterday, Governor DeSantis signed into law HB 1227, Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day. House Bill 1227 creates the 22^nd state designated holiday in the State of Florida, which is the 4^th Thursday in March.

The bill recognizes the Tuskegee Airmen, African American fighter pilots, who trained near Tuskegee Institute now known as Tuskegee University. The pilots formed part of the 332nd Fighter Group which was comprised of four squadrons of African American pilots in the 15th Air Force during World War II. The Airmen were also known as the “Red Tails,” a nickname acquired from the painted tails of 332nd fighter planes, which flew over 200 missions in the performance of defending heavy bombers from enemy interceptors.

“I’m pleased, and the Tuskegee Airmen are pleased, that Governor DeSantis signed HB 1227 into law which commemorates and honors the Tuskegee Airmen,” said Representative Antone.

Florida has become one of at least 10 other states to recognize a day designating the “Tuskegee Airmen Commemoration Day” on the fourth Thursday in March of each year as a legal holiday. This special day honors the Tuskegee Airmen, who were the first Black military pilots in the United States armed forces.

• HB 1545, which protects children from grooming activities and other sexual offenses.
• HB 1131, which establishes a grant program within the Florida Department of Law Enforcement to create online sting operations to target sexual predators.
• HB 1235, which creates stricter guidelines for sex offender registration.
• SB 1224, which strengthens the role of the Statewide Guardian ad Litem Office and implements new training requirements to ensure law enforcement properly assesses a domestic violence situation.
• HB 305, which expands the evidence that can be presented to a jury in sex-abuse cases where the victim is a minor and increases penalties on those who take part in sex trafficking of minors.

• Prohibits an adult from engaging in a pattern of communication to a minor that includes explicit and detailed verbal descriptions of sexual activity.
• Increases penalties for child exploitation crimes such as promoting sexual performances or possessing child pornography.
• Establishes this conduct as a third-degree felony, strengthening the punishments associated with child exploitation and making them more severe.

• Requires FDLE to award grant funding on an annual basis for sting operations.
• Allocates funding to be used on computers, electronics, software, and other digital assets to conduct online child predator sting operations.

• Prevents sex offenders from using a temporary residence to avoid registration.
• Requires sex offenders to register vehicles and vessels used as living quarters with the state.
• Requires international travel to be reported ahead of time.
• Makes it more difficult to qualify for registration removal.

• Creates a new role within the Guardian ad Litem Office to assist children aging out of foster care to successful independent living.
• Establishes the Fostering Prosperity grant program for youth and young adults aging out of foster care to facilitate trade school opportunities and financial literacy instruction and to provide college preparation tools.
• Creates a lethality assessment that requires responding law enforcement officers to a domestic violence incident to determine if a domestic violence victim is at risk of death or serious injury and respond appropriately. This was inspired by Gabby Petito who was tragically murdered by her fiancé Brian Laundrie.

• Allows a hearsay statement made by a minor, regardless of age, to be admitted as evidence.
• It also requires offenders convicted of human trafficking minors to be registered sex offenders on the first offense.