Florida's 'whistleblower' says he was fired for leaking plans to build golf courses in state parks

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) – A former state employee who said he had information about the Plans The plan to build golf courses and hotels in Florida's state parks has apparently been fired.

But James Gaddis, who described himself as an “ethical whistleblower,” said he had no regrets about bringing the Suggestionsafter Palm Beach Post.

“I happened to be in the middle of all this, the clock was ticking and I thought someone had to take the initiative and put an end to this madness,” Gaddis told the newspaper.

Gaddis, who worked as a cartographer for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, said he was hired to create conceptual maps for the Suggestions to build golf courses, pickleball courts, 350-room hotels and more in nine state parks from Miami to the Panhandle.

The task was to illustrate the plans for the construction of sprawling settlements in some of Florida's most pristine habitats – some of which are rare worldwide — Gaddis said he freaked out.

“I drew the polygons of the golf course and marked the spot where the hotel would be in Anastasia State Park (near St. Augustine). I was already disgusted, but it just kept getting worse,” Gaddis said. “I said, 'What I'm planning here is too bad and too outrageous, and I can't take it anymore.'”

Gaddis said he wrote a summary of the proposals on his work computer and shared it, which helped Protests and massive public backlash against the plans, which the ministry has since withdrawn. Last week Governor Ron DeSantis He described the initiative as “immature” and “not yet fully developed”.

After sharing the information, Gaddis was placed on administrative leave on August 30. The next day, he received a termination letter in the mail accusing him of violating department policy.

A DEP spokesman did not respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press.

Gaddis, a single father of an 11-year-old child, is being celebrated as a hero on social media by opponents of the planned construction project. Since Tuesday afternoon, a GoFundMe The page created by Gaddis had raised more than $100,000.

A state salary database His annual salary is reported at USD 49,346.04