Overview
- State Attorney Monique Worrell says the Florida Attorney General’s office unilaterally rewrote the Ninth Judicial Circuit’s 2025–2026 VOCA contract in December, two months after approval and execution.
- Worrell reports the revisions cut domestic-violence service capacity by more than 80%, lowering projected victims served from about 3,750 to 689.
- She says the new deliverables include unrealistic quotas in other categories, citing a requirement for 1,000 physical child abuse cases when 46 were handled last year.
- The contract involves roughly $485,000 in federal VOCA funds that support victim-advocate positions, and Worrell says her circuit is the only one facing the revised terms.
- A spokesperson for Attorney General James Uthmeier says the circuit would get almost $500,000 this year if it signs, but the office has not explained the rationale for the changes and the impact on staffing and services remains uncertain.