HILLSBOROUGH COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — A former Tampa Bay area judge has joined a small field of candidates running to become Florida’s next attorney general.

After 11 years as a Hillsborough County Judge, Republican Ashley Moody wants to be the state’s next top law enforcement official. If she wins, Moody would become the state’s second female attorney general.

In the wake of the recent change of two Florida laws, we wanted to know what she would do if she was the current attorney general.

First, News Channel 8 asked her about the stand your ground law and the burden of proof shifting to prosecutors. Moody said challenging it would not be for her to decide.

“Those are going to rest with the legislature, certainly, and the courts are going to decide this,” she said.

We also asked if she would challenge Florida’s death penalty law.

“I’ll represent the interests of the legislature and the people and what they decide,” Moody said.

Earlier this year, State Attorney Aramis Ayala refused to seek the death penalty not only in the case of accused cop-killer Markeith Lloyd, but all other cases as well.

“That’s where the criticism comes in,” Moody said. “She wasn’t using the discretion given to her on a case by case. She was just making a blanket policy and that’s not what her job was to be.”

Moody says one of her top priorities will be the opioid crisis.

“As a federal drug prosecutor previously, I certainly have no tolerance for people that are selling drugs, distributing drugs,” she said. “I plan to continue Bondi’s fight and while that has shifted drugs, we have to attack it like she has done.”

Others running for attorney general include Republican Representative of Jacksonville Jay Fant and Democratic Tampa Attorney Ryan Torrens.STORIES OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:

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