TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – While a lot of focus has been on the election coming up in a few weeks, another local election that won't happen until next year is beginning to make headlines.
Republican attorney Wes White filed papers Friday in Tallahassee to take on State Attorney Angela Corey in the 2016 Republican primary.
White used to run the state attorney district office in Nassau County.
"We need to do our jobs without controversy. That office needs to have the trust of various segments of our community and it doesn't have it now," said White.
In recent years Corey has been a lightning rod for high-profile cases that have caused racial division nationwide, including the George Zimmerman trial, the neighborhood block captain who shot and killed Trayvon Martin.
There was also the prosecution of Michael Dunn, who was convicted of killing Jordan Davis after two trials.
Most recently there was the retrial of Marissa Alexander, who some believe was overcharged for firing shots at her estranged husband.
"When you tell someone that either you accept a plea deal for three years or you're going to spend 60 years in jail, I think something is drastically wrong there," said White.
White questions a lot of Corey's actions as state attorney and has been for years. Ben Kruidbos was the former state attorney IT director who White represented in a lawsuit against Corey. Kruidbos sued after he was fired by Corey for testifying in the Zimmerman trial that Corey and her office didn't turn over all evidence to the defense team. That case in still ongoing.
"I would rather be a member of the choir that sings about a great northeast Florida. Rather then a soloist that goes out there and is not appreciated by segments of the community," said White.
Corey's office said she was not available for an interview Friday afternoon, but sent this comment: "Ms. Corey looks forward to running again for State Attorney and continuing to protect the citizens of the Fourth Judicial Circuit."