ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) - The top prosecutor for the Orlando area says a proposal by Florida lawmakers to cut her office’s budget because she isn’t seeking the death penalty anymore may compromise public safety in the nation’s most visited city.
State Attorney Aramis Ayala said Wednesday that budget cuts could severely impact her office’s ability to prosecute crimes.
House Republicans released spending recommendations on Monday that slashed $1.3 million and 21 jobs from Ayala’s budget.
Ayala has come under fire after she announced she wouldn’t seek the death penalty in the case of Markeith Loyd or any other case.
Loyd is charged with killing an Orlando police lieutenant earlier this year, and his pregnant ex-girlfriend.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott took the Loyd case away from Ayala and reassigned it to a neighboring prosecutor.
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