TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — Ousted Hillsborough State Attorney Andrew Warren told a judge Tuesday that he learned he was suspended through an email — and minutes later, from Gov. Ron DeSantis’ “public safety czar,” Larry Keefe.
The Aug. 4 email said, “You’ve been suspended,” Warren testified on the first day of a federal trial in which Warren hopes to be reinstated.
Warren is suing DeSantis in a case that’s expected to provide a rare window into the inner workings of the governor’s office. Attorneys for both sides spent an hour giving opening statements Tuesday morning to U.S. District Judge Robert L. Hinkle before Warren took the witness stand. He discussed his legal background and policies of his office, and recounted the moment he learned he’d been pulled from the office to which he was twice elected.
