Florida Office of Statewide Prosecution ends assistance to State Attorney's Office on backlogged cases

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. - The Statewide Prosecutor's office – under the Florida Attorney General's office – has decided to end a special assignment, in which statewide prosecutors assisted State Attorney Monique Worrell's office with non-arrest cases. 

What we know:

In her 2025 review on Jan. 22, State Attorney Monique Worrell gave an update on her office's accomplishments on backlogged cases. 

Worrell's office, in the Ninth Judicial Circuit, worked to process 13,695 cases to now having 9,182 cases. Overall, the amount of non-arrest backlogged cases were reduced by 33%. 

"The policy to reduce the amount of non-arrest cases that we receive in this office is working," Worrell said. 

Now, after 10 months of assisting Worrell's office, the Office of Statewide Prosecution said it's ending its special assignment, in which the office's prosecutors will return to their assigned duties as Assistant Statewide Prosecutors, the office said in a Jan. 23 statement. 

State Attorney Monique Worrell gives update on backlogged cases

In a review of 2025, State Attorney Monique Worrell, of the Ninth Judicial Circuit, gave an overview of her office's accomplishments with backlogged cases. 

By the numbers:

The number of non-arrest cases Worrell's office received decreased from 12,118 in 2024 to 1,682 in 2025. 

"This is a significant decrease, and I am thankful to law enforcement for working with us to end what was something that was very difficult for us to get out of – the constant non-arrest backlog," Worrell said. "As a result of receiving fewer non-arrest cases, you see that we are able to reduce that non-arrest backlog – in addition to the help of the Statewide Prosecutor." 

What they're saying:

The Office of the Statewide Prosecutor originally provided six attorneys to Worrell's office to help with the backlog. In Quarter 2 of 2025, that number decreased to four through the remainder of the year. 

In Quarter 4, the four attorneys assisted on a part-time basis.

Worrell initially requested 13 prosecutors from the Attorney General. 

The team reviewed thousands of files, closed out thousands of cases and filed criminal charges in over 50 cases, the Statewide Prosecutor's office said. 

In some cases, the team was given access to files after the statute of limitations had run out, but the statewide prosecutors worked to file cases involving victims of DUI, domestic violence and battery on law enforcement. 

"That impact necessitates a review of your non-arrest policy and an open dialogue with local law enforcement officials to determine the best way to move forward and bring justice on behalf of victims," the Statewide Prosecutor's office said. 

FOX 35 has reached to Worrell's office for a statement.