“TOTAL SECRECY” What fired DEP whistleblower told WPTV about state parks plan

WPTV spoke to a whistleblower who said he was fired for leaking plans to develop state parks.

This happened after residents had contacted our editorial team with their concerns about these plans for days and protested against the plan before it abruptly put on hold last week.

WPTV reporter Ethan Stein spoke with James Gaddis, a former employee of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, to get his side of the story.

Gaddis's termination letter, dated August 30 (READ BELOW), states that he was fired for conduct unbecoming a public employee and a violation of the agency's policies on releasing information.

He said if he had the chance, he would do it again.

Gaddis told WPTV that a supervisor instructed him to prepare maps to show various developments in nine state parks, including the three golf courses at Jonathan Dickinson State Park.

WATCH BELOW: FDEP whistleblower gives behind-the-scenes insight into controversial government proposal

Gaddis said he released the documents because he felt the public had not had enough time to comment on them. He was subsequently fired for conduct unbecoming a public servant.

He said the secrecy of the plans made him feel he had to speak out.

“What was the most frustrating thing about seeing all these plans?” Stein asked Gaddis.

“We were completely blindsided by it,” Gaddis replied. “It came out of nowhere. We were told not to talk to anyone about it, including our buddies who work in other units in the building. It got to the point where we were operating in complete secrecy the whole time.”

Gaddis said he saved the documents on two different USB sticks and then distributed one internally at DEP and one externally.

After the documents were leaked to the media, the DEP made the plans public.

WPTV contacted the DEP and the governor's office, but only the DEP responded, saying it does not comment on personal matters.

As of Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe campaign for Gaddis had already raised nearly $100,000.

According to pay stubs obtained by WPTV, his salary will likely double what he has already earned this year as a state employee, and he is receiving job offers from potential employers.

Read more about WPTV’s coverage of this issue and the protests below:

Scripps Content Only 2024