ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. — One hundred days after Andrew Bain accepted Gov. Ron DeSantis’ appointment to be the new Orange-Osceola state attorney, he said his efforts to turn the prosecutor’s office around have already shown results.
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Smiling and joking as he took the podium, and flanked by law enforcement leaders from both counties, Bain listed a mixture of policy changes and additional communication as his biggest accomplishments to date.
“We have successfully shifted back to basics, evaluating each unique case based on the facts and according to the law,” he said.
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The policies – many of which were previously announced – included enforcing mandatory minimum sentences for felons convicted of firearm possession, using grand juries to investigate officer use-of-force cases, and appointing a special administrative prosecutor to oversee Brady reviews, which discloses officer misconduct to juries.
Bain said the emphasis on basics has led his office to re-hire 13 prosecutors who had left for positions elsewhere, returning 170 years of experience to Orange and Osceola counties.
Read: Newly appointed State Attorney Andrew Bain talks relationship with DeSantis, job priorities
Bain’s efforts have been appreciated by other agencies. Orange County Sheriff John Mina praised him, saying it was nice for their offices to be on the same page. The circuit’s chief judge, while carefully choosing her words to avoid any appearance of supporting or opposing his leadership, noted that communication had become more frequent and the prosecutor’s office had become more productive.
“He’s been busy, and he’s keeping our criminal judges busy,” Lisa Munyon said.
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Bain announced the felony conviction rate under his watch was 71% so far, higher than his predecessor, Monique Worrell, scored during the same period last year. However, they weren’t anywhere near Worrell’s 90% conviction rate from January to March. Bain also inherited her cases – both the ones that resulted in convictions and the ones that didn’t.
Looking forward, he said he was exploring literacy programs for kids to ensure their futures didn’t end in the criminal justice system. Educators have tied literacy rates in young children to academic success later in life.
He also said he was looking at diversion programs for teenagers and people convicted of minor offenses, striking a similar balance that Worrell tried to navigate after she won election as a reformist, though Bain’s approach will differ from hers.
Like his predecessor, Bain said he was also talking with community leaders about recidivism and ways to make the juvenile system better.
When asked how much contact he had with the governor’s office since his appointment, Bain responded that there had been next to none.
He confirmed he will run for re-election against Worrell, though it is unknown which party he plans to align with. Prior to 2019, he was registered as a Democrat, but he is a member of the conservative Federalist Society.
While it’s a political position, he said he didn’t see politics playing a role in his position as state attorney or his objectives: to follow the constitution and apply the law accurately and fairly.
“We’re going to try to see the best criminal justice system we possibly can create here in this circuit and be a shining example for… others in this country,” he said.
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