James Gaddis, the whistleblower who leaked Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ controversial state park plans, has been fired by the Florida Department of Environmental Protection.
According to the termination letter, Gaddis was fired because he released inaccurate information about his work.
DeSantis’ Controversial Park Project
Outrage in Florida reached a new high in recent weeks when DeSantis’ office officially confirmed that they, alongside the state’s Department of Environmental Protection, were working on a new plan to bring more people into state parks.
This confirmation came after a leak of said plans was revealed prior to the announcement.
Converting Parks Into Golf Courses
Floridians were incredibly outraged by these plans and made their disappointment and anger known very quickly.
According to the project, areas of state parks would be converted into business opportunities, such as golf courses, pickleball courts, and 350-room hotels.
Keeping State Parks Untouched
Locals near these parks were incredibly upset to learn that DeSantis wanted to turn untouched land in Florida into business opportunities.
Many environmentalists were also angry to learn that habitats for Florida’s endangered species could be destroyed in DeSantis’ quest to create golf courses on state park land.
Whistleblower Fired
Now, this story has taken a new turn, as Gaddis, the whistleblower who first revealed this information to the public through work with The Tampa Bay Times, has been fired.
Gaddis, who worked for the agency as a cartographer, has since revealed that he leaked this information because of the secrecy behind the project, as well as the environmental destruction these plans would create. He stated his moves were not political.
Harming Habitats in State Parks
Gaddis, who was tasked with creating land use maps for these golf courses and hotels, explained, “It was the absolute flagrant disregard for the critical, globally imperiled habitat in these parks.”
He added, “This was going to be a complete bulldozing of all of that habitat. The secrecy was totally confusing and very frustrating. No state agency should be behaving like this.”
A Rushed Timeline
Gaddis specifically didn’t like that it appeared there was a secretive rush to get these plans out — and begin working on them as soon as possible.
Gaddis was asked to start working on these proposals the week of July 29. He was supposed to have them finished by the time the agency held public meetings on August 27.
Where These Orders Came From
Gaddis further claimed that these orders came directly from DeSantis’ office. The governor’s deputy chief of staff, Cody Farrill, worked as a liaison between the agency and the governor’s office.
In his anonymous document that leaked these plans, Gaddis wrote, “The office was directed to drop/hold other tasks and compose these amendments as quickly as possible.”
Releasing Inaccurate Information
In his termination letter, the agency insinuated that Gaddis was being fired because he released inaccurate information. In reality, Gaddis’ information was later confirmed by the agency itself in their public announcement.
“Recently the Department became aware that you intentionally released unauthorized and inaccurate information to the public,” the dismissal letter said. “At least one document was created, authored, and disseminated by you without direction or permission.”
Gaddis’ Next Steps
So far, Gaddis is still working on his next steps after receiving this dismissal notice. He has started a GoFundMe to help him as he tries to find a new job.
Meanwhile, he is also working on acquiring an attorney to help him with these matters.
People Praise Whistleblower Online
Online, many people have praised Gaddis and his role as a whistleblower. They’ve also worked to donate money to his GoFundMe now that he’s been fired.
Jessica Namath, the conservationist chair of Tequesta’s environmental advisory committee wrote, “Thank you sir, for putting our State Parks and all the incredible species and habitats before yourself and your financial security. You’re a legend in my book.”
DeSantis Backpedals on Plans
Since many Floridians have expressed their outrage over the plans, DeSantis has seemingly backpedaled on the project and claimed that he wouldn’t push for it.
When this news first broke, Floridians on both political sides announced their disapproval of the conversion of state park lands into golf courses.
