DeSantis-appointed state attorney cancels diversion programs, nixes policy following Worrell’s ouster

In his first morning as state attorney, Andrew Bain made immediate and sweeping changes: He fired two executive staff members, canceled the office’s catch-and-release policy and discontinued the office’s diversion programs while he “evaluate[s] their effectiveness.” The actions by Bain, a member of the conservative Federalist Society who Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed to the Orange County judicial bench in 2020, represent a sharp departure from Monique Worrell, the elected state attorney for Orange and Osceola Counties who DeSantis ousted from office Wednesday. Bain’s actions also caused concern ...