MEET THE CANDIDATES: Seth Hyman, State Attorney Republican Primary

SETH HYMAN

Age: 48

Residence: Orlando 

Education: Edgewater High School, 1994; Boston University, 1998; Golden Gate University School of Law, 2007

Profession: Attorney

Qualifications: Former assistant state attorney, Orange County, from 2014 to 2017; owner of Seth Hyman Law, from 2018 to present; Florida Anti-Defamation League board member; Rotary Club Orlando member; Edgewater High School Foundation board member

Why are you running for State Attorney, Ninth Judicial Circuit?

I love my community, and I want to keep it safe. Victims of crime deserve justice, and under Aramis Ayala and Monique Worrell, it seemed to me that helping the people committing crimes was the focus of the elected prosecutor, and victims were forgotten. This is the opposite of what should have happened. I put my name in for state attorney in January 2023, because it is imperative that Monique Worrell is not reelected. 

Discuss your previous experience and how it has prepared you to serve in this role.

When I was an assistant state attorney, I worked under both Jeffrey Ashton and Aramis Ayala. In 2014, the majority of my colleagues had worked for Lawson Lamar. I saw firsthand a state attorney’s office running well, and then in 2016, due to terrible management, I saw it run poorly. 

The state attorney is the leader of a very large office of attorneys and support staff, because we live in a growing metropolitan area, and when you add in the high number of tourists every year, the caseload of this office is gigantic. Efficiency needs to be an emphasis. 

What are the values and morals that have guided your life, and how will you use them as state attorney?

Honesty, integrity, empathy and connection to the community are values that are important to me and are also important characteristics of an elected official. We are elected to represent the public, so it is essential that we have an open dialog and, most importantly, to listen. 

What are the key differences between you and the other candidates?

I have been endorsed by the Republican Party in both Orange and Osceola counties by a unanimous vote. A main difference between us is that I have put an extensive amount of work into this race since January 2023. 

Mr. Feiter jumped into this race only a few months ago, has made almost no effort to actively campaign and has put videos online praising Monique Worrell and criticizing Gov. Ron DeSantis, calling him an authoritarian and un-American in a recent Orlando Sentinel video debate. 

Evaluate Gov. Ron DeSantis’ decision to suspend Monique Worrell.

Gov. Ron DeSantis was 100% correct in his suspension of Monique Worrell, as she was not doing the job she was elected to do. ... The people elect the legislators, they make the criminal laws, and the state attorney must enforce the law as it is written. Monique Worrell was running that office to personally determine which laws she believed should exist and, therefore, she undermined the will of the citizens.

Evaluate Andrew Bain’s performance as state attorney after his appointment.

Andrew Bain is a far better state attorney than Monique Worrell or Aramis Ayala, and the community is safer as a result of his appointment. I believe I would be an even better state attorney, otherwise I would not still be in this race. 

If elected, what changes would you make to the state attorney position and office?

I will prioritize rebuilding a strong relationship with law enforcement like we had under Lawson Lamar. I will have a visiting law-enforcement office in both Orange and Osceola, where law-enforcement officers can come into the state attorney’s office, do their work, talk to prosecutors about their cases and learn more about the intricacies of criminal law. 

Discuss your opinion on the death penalty.

I support the death penalty for the most egregious and heinous murderers. 

How would your election to the state attorney position improve the lives of the citizens in Orange and Osceola counties?

When I am state attorney, criminals will be held accountable for their actions, victims will receive justice and the community will be safer. 

Describe the relationship you hope to have with law-enforcement agencies.

I am the most supportive candidate of law enforcement in this race. The state attorney’s office and law-enforcement agencies are two sides of the same coin. … To help keep this community as safe as possible, we have to be working together.